Before the Dawn
by Lizbian
Summary: Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, BoyBoy love, Language, Violence, Blood play, etc.
1. Prologue: Before the Dawn

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
  


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
  


**-Author Notes:** Sorry this one's a bit short, and I kept changing the title. It's staying the way it is now. (Named after my favorite Judas Priest song.) This is my first time writing a fanfic, so it's bound to not turn out right - read and review anyway. I'll take ideas for later chapters too, if you have any. Thanks for reading! :)   
  
  


***   
  
  


A boy with raven black hair and glasses opened his bright green eyes and glanced nervously around at his surroundings. Where was he? It reminded him of a closet - small, dark, with an odd sharp scent here and there. But why would there be moths in here? There didn't seem to anything in here, but then again, he couldn't see anything. Or maybe... he saw something shining a few paces away on the ground, and decided to see what it was. He stood up and immediately banged his head on the ceiling, quickly cursed under his breath, and sat back down on the floor. _I feel like an animal_, he thought, as he crawled the few feet to the shiny pink object. Once he got there, he sat back on his haunches and reached his hand towards the tiny gleaming square on the ground - once he touched it, his mind cleared of his surroundings and in his head, he saw a giant pink Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper. He tossed it away and stood halfway up, feeling around the walls and corners, trying to find a way out of here.   
  


"This doesn't feel like my closet at home, so where the hell am I?" sighed the boy.   
  


A deep, slow, calming voice answered him right away, "You're in St. Mungo's, Harry." Somehow this voice was familiar to the boy - was that his name, Harry? He had to find a way to get out of here. He shook his head and whispered, "What happened?"   
  


The voice drifted back to him, "You watched your godfather die, Harry. You went nearly insane with grief. You even tried to put an unforgiveable curse on someone. Lashing out at your friends, your family, your professors... if we didn't move you here, Sirius wouldn't be the only one dead."   
  


Harry felt a pang at his heart. He didn't know this 'Sirius', so why should he care so deeply whether he was alive or not? He had to keep this man talking so he could figure out where the door was. He mumbled and blurted out, "But I don't know that person. Why don't I remember it?"   
  


"You were so violent, we decided to erase your memory of all that had happened that night in the Department of Mysteries. Unfortunately, your mind was so far gone, it erased itself of your life at Hogwarts. You don't remember a single person there, do you Harry?" questioned the man.   
  


Harry thought as hard as he could. "Was Dudley one of them?"   
  


"No," sighed the man. "I was afraid this would happen... you're going to have to be re-educated all over again, I'm sorry to say."   
  


Harry knew this stuff though! He could remember them, but had no idea how they had gotten there. He sputtered, "Educated for what? I know spells and stuff, I just don't remember anyone or anything that happened there. Can't I just start where I left off?" He didn't know if he had any friends or not, but he assumed he didn't, just like it was at Privet Drive, so he wanted to be finished with this 'school' as soon as possible. Then he could go and live by himself, and not have to worry about anyone else.   
  


"This term is already 2 weeks started. If it's really what you want, Harry, we'll get you back in time for you to not miss very much at all. Would you like that?" the man said.   
  


Harry felt like he was being talked to as though he was a child. He was starting to dislike this man, whoever he was. "Yes, please," he replied, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He had never felt anger or sadness like this at his home on Privet Drive, even though the Dursleys treated him like yesterday's garbage. He felt empty, like nothing could be his anymore. He felt completely and utterly alone. Reaching to the floor, he grabbed the gum wrapper and put it in his pocket. It was the only thing he could hold on to, and a reminder of his misfortune.   
  


And for this, he began hating everyone he met. 


	2. Chapter 1: Was This Home?

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
****   
**** ****

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
****   
**** ****

**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
****   
**** ****

**-Author Notes:** Whew, this is kinda hard! But it's fun at the same time. Again, there are bound to be some errors but please bear with me. I'll get better, I promise. :)   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry had nothing. He'd started to remember the items he'd had (like his father's invisibility cloak), but he still couldn't remember anyone he'd met at Hogwarts. He was glad, too - he suspected he'd been treated rather unfairly because of his scar; why else would he have snapped and been sent to St. Mungo's? Deep in his mind he knew it was because of his emotional instability, but he tried to keep composure by overlooking that fact.   
  


He walked next to the man, his hand in his pocket, being careful not to touch the gum wrapper, because as soon as he did, his mind would go blank and he would get the huge mental image of it again. Why does that happen?, he wondered, his neck prickling. He shook off the weird feeling and glanced at the man beside him.   
  


The man was tall, with a long white beard and piercing blue eyes hidden behind half-moon spectacles. He looked so familiar, so caring, and yet Harry knew he didn't like this man at all. "What's your name?" asked Harry.   
  


Right away the man answered, "Ah, it is such a pity to see that you do not even remember me, your own Headmaster. I am Albus Dumbledore."   
  


Harry looked back ahead to see where they were and was pleased to find that they had stopped walking and were standing in front of the fireplace. Dumbledore handed a jar to Harry and started to explain how to use the Floo Powder. Harry cut him off sharply and said, "I know how to use it. Just hand it to me. We're going to Hogwarts, right?"   
  


The Headmaster nodded, his eyes following Harry closely. Something was definitely different about the boy - the Aurors hadn't been lying when they brought Harry to him.   
  


Harry grabbed a hefty handful of the gritty powder, stepped into the fireplace, and said clearly, "Hogwarts!" At that moment, a bright green light filled the fireplace and Harry was instantly delighted to feel himself travelling elsewhere. He was surrounded by this intense feeling of ecstasy at the glorious emerald light, and opened his mouth to laugh loudly. He remembered parts of his parents' death and the bright flash of green he'd seen when Voldemort had tried to kill him... but he didn't stop to question why the sight delighted him now, because he had rolled out of Dumbledore's fireplace. He hit the Headmaster's desk, sending dust flying.   
  


Shortly after, there was another flash of green and Dumbledore sprang from the fireplace, seemingly untouched by the ashes. He landed softly in the carpet and strode over to his desk, where he proceeded to pick up Harry's wand and cauldron, which was full of Harry's schoolthings.   
  


"We have taken the liberty of sending Hedwig to the owlery already, and we got your new school supplies from Diagon Alley. I will give you your wand back if you can tell me you will try to control your feelings a little better than we saw back at the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore's words poured from his mouth smoothly.   
  


"Yeah, sure," replied Harry, grabbing for his wand. He put on his robes and stuffed the wand in a pocket inside. In a flash of memories before leaving St. Mungo's, he had remembered Sirius - who he was and the veil in which he had fell. Harry wished he could just get away from this man called Dumbledore. He felt somehow as though it was his Headmaster's fault that Sirius had died.   
  


Dumbledore silently handed his cauldron to him and said, "There is no time for you to go get supper at the Great Hall, so you will find an assortment of the feast's specialties in your dormitory. I know you don't remember how to get there, so Ron is here to help you." He waved his hand and the door to his office flew open.   
  


Ron Weasley ran in, gasping for breath, and caught Harry in a tight bear-hug. "Welcome back, mate! We were so worried about you. Thought you'd never make it back to our world again. Hermione's waiting in the Common Room for you, so let's hurry up and go." He grabbed up Harry's cauldron and said cheerfully, "Don't worry about this, I'll carry it for you!"   
  


Harry watched the red-haired boy walk out of Dumbledore's office and wait just outside, on the stairs. Harry turned again to look at Dumbledore, stared at him for a quick moment, and followed Ron to the door.   
  


"We hope to see you doing well in your classes again, Harry. If you need anything, please alert Professor McGonagall and she will come to me immediately," were Dumbledore's last words. Harry barely heard the last few because he had not stopped to listen. He was out the door without a look behind him.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Outside the hall, Harry almost ran to keep up with Ron's long strides. Ron was almost a head taller than he was, which amounted to him taking huge steps without meaning to. Of course, he was rushing to get back to the Common Room so Harry could meet Hermione.   
  


Harry slowed down a bit, forcing Ron to slow down as well, to make sure Harry didn't get lost. Harry took in his surroundings, drinking in the castle. He felt as if this was a new place, and he was getting a new start to his life.   
  


"Come on Harry, we've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Happy 16th birthday, by the way," Ron shouted behind him happily. "Though I imagine you don't remember the presents we gave you..."   
  


Harry didn't remember. He didn't remember the night he got angry that Sirius was gone and his friends were still allowed to be here, on this earth, and in his fit of fury he had smashed the presents. Ron's gift, a bag of Fred and George's shop items, had been unfairly used on the Dursleys, while Hermione's, a new book about love charms, had had all the pages ripped out and torn to shreds. There was no mention ever again of Hagrid's present, a baby Crup, which had been killed with a deadly poison. The tiny doglike creature had tried to lick its new owner's face and had instead gotten a faceful of purple poison. The poor thing was found soaked, the poison reaching to its bones, and its eye sockets shriveled up, underneath a store of food Harry had stolen from the Dursleys and hidden under the floorboards. The Auror who had come in to check on him that night had seen the violent mess of Harry's room and found him huddled in a corner behind a chair. The Auror, Kingsley, smelled something hideous coming from the floor near Harry's bed and found what Harry had done. He also noticed the terrible state of the Dursleys, who had been waiting downstairs, trying to get Dudley's butt (which had knocked over the refrigerator) from growing any bigger. At this, he called Dumbledore immediately, and Harry was taken off to St. Mungo's, and later, had his memory modified.   
  


Harry had been so caught up with looking at the various mirrors and ornaments in the castle, that before he knew it, his small frame had collided with Ron, and he landed on his backside on the floor. Looking up angrily, he saw that Ron had moved to the side and a huge painting had opened. A bunch of people inside were pointing and laughing at Harry.   
  


Harry was infuriated. He knew it was his fault for not watching straight ahead where he was going, but it was his first day back, for Merlin's sake! Who would actually expect him to to not look at the scenery? In an instant, he answered himself, _Exactly the type of friends I shouldn't have._   
  


He picked himself up, brushed off the dust, and forcefully pushed his way through the crowd of people on the other side of the painting. What seemed like a dozen hands reached out to grab and touch him, and Harry snapped. He tore through the crowd and whipped around dangerously, glaring at them all, his green eyes flashing.   
  


"Sod off!" He shouted at the group of people, and it was instantly quiet.   
  


"What's wrong, Harry? We're only trying to welcome you back, you know. Sure, you did go and wreck our presents, but that doesn't mean you can do the same to us!" a girl with bushy gold hair shouted back.   
  


_What the hell is up with these people and their obsession with gifts?!_, thought Harry angrily. _They aren't the only thing in the world. Who gives a bloody damn if I wrecked them? I don't even remember what they were, anyhow. Those morons modified my memory without my permission. If I was having such a bad time with the ordeal, they should have asked if there was anything I thought would help!_   
  


"First of all, I have no idea who any of you are, and I don't even remember my years here. I only remember my parents being killed, a horrid life with what people keep calling my 'family', and everything else is a few spells and incantations that couldn't possibly help me now. They made it perfectly clear at St. Mungo's that I'm a lost cause. What do you expect me to do, welcome you in my waiting arms like I've never been happier in my life? Just leave me alone, alright!" Harry shot back.   
  


Everyone stared in shock. This wasn't their Harry. This wasn't like him at all.   
  


He turned around quickly and dashed up the stairs, leaving the welcome party behind. It was only until he saw a bunch of doors that he realized he had no clue which one was his own dormitory. Sighing, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the nearest wall. Why did people expect so much of him?   
  


Almost instantly, a bright number "11" flashed in his mind and Harry opened his eyes. He looked around quickly, and there - there it was! A little ways off to the right, was a door with the number "11" on it. He made his way towards it and cautiously opened the door. There was no one in there and there were no bright lights like in the Common Room, he noticed gladly. If there was one thing he would welcome right now, it was the solitary dark.   
  


The dormitory was filled with 15 beds, one on either side of the wall, facing each other. One sat by itself in a far corner next to a tower window. Harry chose this one and sprinted across the room towards it. He flopped down and pulled the curtains shut. _Who cares if this is someone else's bed_, he thought to himself._ They can just find another one._   
  


He turned his head to watch out the window through a crack in the curtains, and saw a few shooting stars fly past in the sky. It was nice and quiet in here. He only hoped it would stay that way when the party died down and people came back up to go to sleep.   
  


Harry's stomach suddenly gave a loud rumble, and he put a hand over it to try and silence it. _I forgot to get food_, he thought. _Oh well, it can wait until morning._   
  


He turned over onto his side and slowly drifted off to sleep. He had forgotten to change out of his robes and his brow was furrowed in anger even though he slept.   
  


And Harry dreamed. He dreamed about an intense emerald light surrounding him and a high-pitched cackle that seemed to come from within himself.   
  


In the dormitory, a strong wind blew his hair and lifted it to reveal the thin, lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Harry Potter's eyebrows still arched downward and he grinned in his sleep, so that he looked like an evil maniac.   
  


At this point, his scar flashed a deep, sick green... 


	3. Chapter 2: News Leaks Out

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
****   
**** ****

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
****   
**** ****

**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
****   
**** ****

**-Author Notes:** (Celestine Dallimore and Blaire Tipton are made-up characters.) Sorry I can't write more, but it's easier for me to make more chapters when I can make them shorter than 15 pages. ;) Oh yes! I also fixed the html stuff on my chapters, but I changed nothing else, so you can keep reading where you last left off.   
  
  


***   
  
  


In the Slytherin dungeons, Draco Malfoy was sitting on a couch with a circle of friends - Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Celestine Dallimore, Blaise Zabini, and Draco's bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. Millicent was asleep on a couple of cushions near Blaise's chair. Draco, ever the Slytherin Prince, was stretched out lazily on the couch, the fireplace's green fire sparking and warming his toes.   
  


"Merlin, it gets cold in these dungeons sometimes," complained Draco, his white-blonde hair perfect, like always. "Hasn't anyone ever thought of installing a heater or something that's warmer than a fire in here? That crackpot Headmaster always thinks he's better than us... I say it's more than time for a new school head."   
  


"We should curse him," agreed Pansy, who was sitting on the floor next to Draco. She reached out and trailed a finger across his cheek slowly. "We should curse him really bad..."   
  


Draco closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out to lick Pansy's finger. How he loved to flirt, with girls, with guys... with everyone but those pesky Gryffindors. Especially that filthy mudblood Granger. She was always hanging around him, trying to look at him, and Draco could swear she had a thing for him. But she was a Gryffindor, so needless to say, he returned none of her advances.   
  


Pansy giggled and drew back her hand, blushing.   
  


Blaise saw their interaction and huffed a little, looking away into the fire. Draco saw Blaise's indignation at his brush with with Pansy and grinned. Trying to change the subject, Blaise mumbled, "I heard that Potter's come back. Is it true?"   
  


Draco sat bolt upright, instantly fuming. "I can't believe he has the nerve to return to school after all he's done to our Death Eaters!"   
  


"Yes, well...," Celestine shifted on her cushion on the floor next to Pansy. "At least we get a better chance to torture him, right?"   
  


At this, Draco smirked and lay back down again. "Yes," he replied. "He attacked my father after that day at the Ministry of Magic. He deserves to pay," he spat out the last word.   
  


Blaise gasped inwardly, hearing this news for the first time. "He _attacked_ your father? How badly was he hurt?"   
  


"Well, don't tell anyone, but he's been confined to the manor for not being quite right in the head. The Death Eaters have abandoned him. I'm only lucky they're taking it out on him instead of me - at least I still get to become a Death Eater myself, come this December," answered Draco, almost reluctantly. He realized his mistake at the last few words.   
  


Blaise glared and stood up from his chair quickly. "You'll be the one paying for it, Draco! It was your fault for letting Harry know where your manor was, in the first place! You don't deserve Death Eater status."   
  


Harry didn't remember this, either, but after Sirius had gone, he had made a vow to himself to kill the rest of the Death Eaters - unfortunately, the only house he knew of that held one was Draco's manor. The only reason he knew where it was located was because of his friendship with Dobby after his second year. Dobby had willingly told Harry a couple of years ago where his former master lived, and unfortunately Draco had overheard their conversation. Harry had kept hold of that bit of information secretly, but had never known it would become so handy. In a fit of rage, he had flung himself on his broomstick and flew, ripping mad, to the Malfoy Manor. It had been surprisingly easy to find Lucius Malfoy outside in a garden, trying to charm some red roses into turning green. Without even lifting his wand, Harry had radiated power strong enough to knock Lucius unconscious, only to wake up several days later, acting like a completely different person - what with "kill Voldemort" this and "save Hogwarts" that. It was bloody annoying for Draco all summer.   
  


What Draco _didn't_ know was that after this encounter with Lucius, Harry had become rather violent and acted like a different person, as well... and had eventually been sent to St. Mungo's for it. Draco just assumed he was taking his sweet time getting back to school, trying to make a grand entrance or something.   
  


Crabbe and Goyle, standing behind Draco's couch, glanced at each other and started to smile at what Blaise had said. They stopped quickly and faced away from each other again, both unwilling to admit they had felt a bit of malice for their leader.   
  


Malfoy's eyes glowed a steel ice color and sprang up to stare back at Blaise. He had unknowingly knocked Pansy over, and she was scowling up at him.   
  


"Yes, Draco, you should be punished," she scoffed. "If that bloody house-elf of yours had given out any information about the rest of our families, we could all have broken homes because of that annoying rat Potter. Not that they aren't already...," she added with reluctance.   
  


Draco reached his arm downwards, lightning-fast, and slapped Pansy hard across the face. She squealed and recoiled, then stood up and ran across the dungeon to a set of stairs that led to the girls' dormitories, sniffling all the way.   
  


"That was for being cheeky," Draco muttered under his breath. He turned back to Blaise and stared him down again, then whipped around and stalked back to the boys' dormitories, his robe flapping like a cape behind him.   
  


He picked out the silver "8" emblazoned as a spiraling snake on a smooth black door. He marched inside and found his bed, sitting all by itself behind 7 others, each who had another facing it from across the room. The room was dark and he was alone. Just the way he liked it. He pulled open the curtains only to find a Slytherin 2nd year named Blaire Tipton perched on his pillow.   
  


_She has fancied me ever since she first saw my face last year_, thought Draco. _I admit I'd be here, hoping to fool around in my bed too, if I'd been flirted with all this time. But right now I just want to be alone._   
  


He pulled her roughly off his bed and nipped her ear, growling deep in his throat. She giggled and moved to kiss him, but he shoved her aside.   
  


"Out!" he thundered. She gave a piteous whine and he sighed. "Hate to have to turn away a pretty girl, but... _Congémius_!" The girl was thrown shrieking from the   
room, and the door snapped shut behind her.   
  


Grinning, Draco turned back to his solitary bed and flopped down on it. Now, what was it they were they saying about famous Harry Potter? That he had enough nerve to come back and show his face? Draco thought it was amazing how thick the boy could get when he messed with those of Slytherin house.   
  


Something ominous struck at Draco, though - what Blaise and Pansy had said to him back in the Common Room. How Draco should be punished for his house-elf's mistake. _It was Dobby's bloody fault_, he decided, obviously covering up the fact that he himself didn't get rid of Potter the minute he knew where the Malfoy manor was.   
  


Still, he could not hide the lurchy feeling his stomach gave him whenever he thought about Blaise and Pansy's idea. He knew how the Slytherins were with revenge and punishing who they thought was necessary; hell, he'd taken part in it himself enough times to know how awful it could get. It was like hazing, except the unfortunate students they happened to "punish" already knew exactly what they were doing. Everyone in Slytherin (and even some from other houses) had been punished at some point, whether they were a 7th year or a 1st year. Everyone except a lucky few, Draco being one of them. He dreaded the thought of someone using his own methods against himself.   
  


The only Gryffindor the Slytherins had managed to even touch with their mad schemes was Neville. He had been frightened out of his wits several times, but nothing serious had happened... yet. Draco and his group of friends had plotted to punish Harry at some point, but whenever they got close enough, he was yanked out of their reach. It was infuriating for the Slytherins, like how a cat must feel when a mouse is playing with them and simply will not be caught. At least they had a true reason to get at Harry now.   
  


The only thing they had to be careful of was the professors. It was always hard to hide information from them. Severus Snape knew about only a few of the punishments Slytherins had cast on their own housemates; however, the ones he knew about were only small hexes that could be easily cured. Snape chose to overlook these, and continued to favor his own house above all others. _But if someone should catch us hurting Potter_, Draco thought, _it would be all over for us. We could get expelled._   
  


Draco let out a heavy breath and looked silently out a barred window. Even though this window had no glass or covering, it was spelled so that the water from the Hogwarts lake on the other side could not get through and fill up the dungeons. He watched as the giant squid silently floated past in the dark, listless water.   
  


Little did he know that many, many stories above him, Harry Potter was sitting in the same positioned bed, staring out the same positioned window, and would soon fall into a fitful, disturbing sleep.   
  


Draco turned over and closed his hardened steel-colored eyes, welcoming the dark. 


	4. Chapter 3: So It Begins

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
****   
**** ****

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
****   
**** ****

**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
****   
**** ****

**-Author Notes:** Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It just makes me want to keep going with this story; you're all so awesome. And I even got on someone's favorites list - aww, thanks so much. It means a lot to me that you guys like this story so far, even though there's no H/D yet... Also, I'm dragging the story out on purpose, because I want to see how long I can make this story. Just letting you know ahead of time. ;)   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


"...y!!"   
  
  


"-rry! HARRY, WAKE UP!!"   
  
  


Harry kept his eyes closed, moaning. His head was pounding - his scar felt like it had been hit by a truck, like one of those "big rigs" he'd seen in American movies.   
  
  


He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the bright white clouds reflecting distant sunlight through his window. He was being shook rather roughly by a red-headed blob with a long nose... no, wait, it was just Ron.   
  
  


"Oh, finally you came around! I was getting worried. You were laughing all night, I could hardly get to sleep. Is everything ok? We're going to be late for Transfiguration if you don't hurry up, we can still make breakfast in the Great Hall," Ron said all this very fast.   
  
  


"Ugh...," Harry groaned, holding his head gingerly and closing his eyes again. He had been having a very nice dream about whirling green masses, until Ron had to come and ruin it.   
  
  


Hermione's voice trailed through the dormitory door, "Hurry up, Ron! Get Harry up already!"   
  
  


Ron was still holding on to Harry's shoulders, trying to pull him up out of bed. Harry shoved Ron off and put on his glasses.   
  
  


"Hey you, er, Ron - do you know where the bathrooms are? I'd like to take a shower before eating breakfast," Harry asked.   
  
  


"Yeah, but make it quick, would you? We only have about 15 minutes!" Ron answered, picking himself up off the floor. He walked to his own bed, which was across the room from Harry's - _Good_, Harry noticed.   
  
  


"Hurry up, Harry. I'll wait here for you to finish."   
  
  


Harry stood up and glanced around, looking a bit lost. He turned to Ron with a searching expression on his face, waiting for him to show where the bathrooms were.   
  
  


"OH! Right! Outside the dormitories, to the left, are the boys' bathrooms. The girls' are on the other side, but I don't think you need to know that," Ron said, turning a bit red.   
  
  


Harry left without bothering to say thanks.   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


Inside the showerroom, Harry had hurriedly stripped away his clothes to nothing so he could get to breakfast faster; he had skipped dinner last night, after all. He didn't notice any showers or baths, it was just a big, empty, tiled room with his clothes scattered in one corner. The tiles were sunshine yellow checkered with occasional squares of deep brick red.   
  
  


These Gryffindor colors are like ketchup and mustard; what an awful combination. _Who in the hell picked these colors out for them?_, Harry wondered. _And how the bloody hell am I supposed to wash myself if there aren't any showers or baths in here?_   
  
  


It came to him in a flash, though he didn't quite know how it had happened. He rummaged through his clothes and pulled out his wand.   
  
  


"_Pureau_!" Harry said loudly, holding out his wand. His voice echoed off the empty walls as shiny silver water droplets began pouring out of the tip of his wand, mimicking a showerhead. Harry held the wand over his head and watched the water trickle in mercury-colored streams over his trim, athletic body. It slowed at every muscle crevice, but finished all the way down his legs and onto the floor, where it disappeared.   
  
  


What was different about this water from the water at the Dursleys' was that it was specifically for cleansing. It was pure and washed away all dirt, oil, even magical flesh-eating slug trails.   
  
  


Harry closed his eyes and enjoyed the deep massaging sensation all over his body. He felt as though the water was entering him through his skin and cleansing even his insides. He wanted to stay surrounded by this water forever, but the feeling was broken once his stomach rumbled again. Sighing, he pulled his hand back down and the water flow stopped - and Harry was suddenly dry.   
  
  


He put his clothes back on, complete with the warm-red-and-flashy-gold tie around his neck. He was dressed in a dark gray v-neck sweater over a plain white pressed collared shirt, and black tailored pants. He finished putting on his black robe, as black as his hair, and tucked his wand away, running out of the bathroom to find Ron waiting right outside.   
  
  


"Harry, are you sure you're - er - clean? That was pretty quick," Ron noticed.   
  
  


"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry answered. Of course he was clean! He really didn't want to go into a conversation about his shower; at least, not with this red-haired, skinny, freckled boy standing in front of him. This one they called "Ron", he was awfully dirty for a wizard. Harry turned his head away and wrinkled his nose in disgust.   
  
  


Luckily Ron didn't notice this because he was now talking to the bushy-haired girl, who seemed to be frantic.   
  
  


"Ron, you've got to help me get Crookshanks - he's run off under Ginny's bed again - "   
  
  


Ron turned back to Harry, his face both a mix of hunger and disappointment. "I'll be right back, Harry! I'm just going to help Hermione - you stay right there so we can show you the way to the Great Hall."   
  
  


Harry watched Ron leave and his stomach grumbled again. He clapped a hand over it and a wave of anger washed over him. _I don't need to wait for this dolt and his stuck-up girlfriend, or whoever she is_, he decided.   
  
  


He turned and hurriedly skipped several stairs on his way to the Fat Lady's painting. The Common Room was deserted, so he figured that all the other Gryffindors must be eating already.   
  
  


He stood and watched while the Fat Lady's portrait opened, agonizingly slowly. Not being able to take the hunger pangs any longer, Harry stepped forward and pushed open the painting himself, and the Fat Lady shrieked at his cold hands on the back of her painting.   
  
  


"Humph! Well, I never! So rude, you used to be such a little darling - "   
  
  


Her words were drowned out because Harry had bounded down the tower's dimly-lit narrow stone staircase and stepped out into the Hogwarts castle once again. Unfortunately, he didn't know where the Great Hall was, so he started to run down corridors aimlessly, amidst talking suits of armor and mischievous candles that put themselves out whenever someone walked close.   
  
  


_Ugh, I'm getting nowhere_, thought Harry desperately. _And I'm still hungry._   
  
  


He felt he should stop, so he leaned against a wall, panting, and slid onto the cold stone floor. After he had caught his breath, he re-opened his eyes and saw in front of him a huge set of bold wooden doors. The doors were easily twice the size of Hagrid... if only Harry had known who that was, that is.   
  
  


He stood up and walked towards the doors - he smelled something delicious wafting from inside, he was dying to taste it -   
  
  


As soon as he touched the door, its false image fell away and he saw 4 long tables filled with students from every house - there was one for the intelligent Ravenclaws, the loyal Hufflepuffs, the courageous Gryffindors, and of course, the sly and cunning Slytherins.   
  
  


Harry stepped forward. So this was the Great Hall, filled with the happy sounds of students laughing and talking. He looked upwards and saw that the giant room appeared to have no roof, but there was no breeze to be felt inside. He could see the gray, woolly clouds casting shadows on the ground outside, through the windows, yet there were no shadows inside the Hall.   
  
  


_How very odd a place_, he thought.   
  
  


Everyone was eating - there were sausages, eggs, porridge, toast - Harry wanted a bit of everything -   
  
  


Slowly the Great Hall's noises grew to a painful halt, as people turned to notice Harry standing alone in the doorway. Voices trickled to Harry's ears from every corner of every table.   
  
  


"So it's true, then; he has come back - "   
  
  


"What do you think happened to him? He looks rather drawn, wonder if his friends ditched him..."   
  
  


"I heard he killed someone in the Ministry of Magic - "   
  
  


"Oy, Harry! Stand right there where I can get a good shot!"   
  
  


FLASH!   
  
  


Colin Creevey had scurried up and snapped a quick picture of Harry Potter to send in to the Quibbler as proof that he was still alive. Blinded and fuming, Harry lashed out - there was a snap as his fist collided sharply with the side of Colin's face -   
  
  


Colin let out a howl and fell to the ground, an angry black bruise already beginning to form on his newly-misshapen jawline, and a steady stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He dropped his camera and it shattered on the floor, and the Great Hall was deathly silent.   
  
  


Ever so smoothly, Madam Pomfrey quickly strode down the middle of the Hall from the staff table and helped Colin to his feet.   
  
  


"Come now, you've got to get to the Hospital where I can mend your jaw - " and she and Colin were gone.   
  
  


Harry, composure (and eyesight) regained, stepped carefully over the mess of Colin's camera and made his way for the nearest table, which he assumed was Gryffindor's - there was a girl with violent red hair he expected was related to Ron somehow, because of her resemblance. He quietly sank down into his seat and grabbed a piece of toast, trying to avoid everyone's startled stares. Slowly, the crowd in the Great Hall began chattering again, but it was obvious they were talking about Harry.   
  
  


Ron came running into the Great Hall, Hermione behind him, struggling to keep up with his long strides. Ron sat down in a seat next to Harry's ("Why didn't you wait for us?!"), and Hermione sat on the other side of Ron, obviously still hurt over what Harry had done to ruin the party last night. Ron stuffed an entire fried egg in his mouth and skewered several sausages on the same fork.   
  
  


"Dig 'ee mish anythin'?" he asked, specks of food grazing the table.   
  
  


Harry leaned away in disgust. "Er - not really - ," he replied, dropping his piece of toast to get an untainted one. He noticed the one they called "Hermione" was pouring a cinnamon shaker into a bowl of porridge. She then proceeded to cut up peaches and drop a few pecans into it.   
  
  


So much for Harry's appetite.   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


As Madam Pomfrey steered Colin away from the Great Hall, the Slytherin table was abuzz with disbelief at what Harry had done. Draco Malfoy was especially stunned, as he thought his rival would do anything to _save_ his housemates, not _hurt_ them.   
  
  


"Blimey, Malfoy, did you see that one?" whispered Blaise, who was astounded.   
  
  


"Yeah, I did. I guess he really is back, then," replied Malfoy quietly, still staring at the back of the boy wonder's head across the room.   
  
  


Pansy spoke up from Draco's left side. "Well, he's still violent so it's still all your fault, Draco! Did you see the way he hit that mousy boy, any one of us could be next - "   
  
  


Draco had caught hold of her chin sharply and was only centimeters away from her face as he growled at her to stay quiet - she had been more than whispering and the Great Hall was still mute.   
  
  


"Would you hold your tongue, Parkinson? Don't give him a target," whispered Draco, his steely eyes grazing over her face, from her big black eyes down to her red lips and back up again. He flashed his famous Malfoy smirk. She blushed deeply and Blaise reached over quickly to pull Malfoy's hand off of her, glaring.   
  
  


Slowly the Great Hall began to babble with talk again, and Draco turned back to his half-eaten boiled egg, the smug look still across his face.   
  
  


_That one never fails to surprise me_, thought Draco, thinking of Harry Potter. _That Colin "Creepy" kid had it coming, at least..._   
  
  


Or so that was his conscious excuse for being in awe of his enemy.   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


**A/N:** This chapter was supposed to be up last night, but I was up late and didn't have time to proofread - sorry everyone! 


	5. Chapter 4: So We Meet Again

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
****   
**** ****

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
****   
**** ****

**-Author Notes:** Somehow I feel as though I'm taking this one a bit far, but we'll see how it goes... Also, school's starting again so I'm afraid I'll have less time to write. I'll still keep going as much as I can... And, crap, cliffhanger ending up ahead so look out. ;)   
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  


Ron and Hermione had quickly led Harry down the school hallways after breakfast in the Great Hall. Luckily they weren't late for Transfiguration.   
  


"McGonagall would've killed us if we weren't there on time!" said Ron excitedly.   
  


Harry was lost in his own thoughts about the school. It was a damp, chilly place sometimes, even in the summer, so Harry was thankful to have a thick black wool cloak for the below freezing temperatures he was sure they'd get in the winter. Mostly he didn't mind the almost cold atmosphere - in fact, he rather liked it.   
  


_It's going to be crisp and refreshing in the autumn_, he thought.   
  


Transfiguration was rather boring. Harry knew he had missed over two weeks of school already, yet he already knew what McGonagall was teaching them: objects into living creatures. Today it was turning a candle flame into a baby chick. This was so simple for Harry, he felt as though he could turn himself into a chick if he wanted to. Ron had only managed to have gotten his flame to turn electric yellow and make a high-pitched cheeping noise, while Hermione could manage only to turn hers into a smouldering ball of golden feathers with spindly orange legs. Professor McGonagall walked around the classroom, pleased to have found a spell that would take even Hermione a few tries to figure out.   
  


Harry dully conjured a twisted black snake entwined around the moon-white candle and quickly made it disappear before anyone could notice. He did this several more times, a vacant and bored expression growing on his face.   
  


A round-faced, forgetful boy Harry had learned was "Neville Longbottom" had suddenly caught his wand on fire and was shrieking loudly.   
  


Meanwhile, the Slytherins were still huddling together and whispering about Harry, only broken apart when McGonagall occasionally walked past, a stern look on her face. Draco turned away from them and shook his head in annoyed disbelief. Why did everything always have to be about that prat Potter?   
  


"Oh, what's the use?" said Ron, exasperated. "When are we ever going to need to turn something into a chicken?!"   
  


"Just you wait, Ron," Hermione said. "I daresay you'll use it once or twice - at least I bet I will, once I can get mine to chirp - "   
  


Irritated by their bickering, Harry turned to his own candle, muttered a spell under his breath, and flicked his wand. There was a loud crack, a puff of smoke engulfed him, and McGonagall rushed over to his table. The smoke cleared away and the next thing anyone saw was a wooden coop full of 3 or 4 warbling hens sitting neatly on Harry's desk, and a dainty, buttercup-yellow biddy broke out of a pearly-white egg perched atop Harry's extinguished candle. It cheeped, ruffled its tiny wings, and the girls in the class squealed.   
  


Harry was leaning back in his chair, a very satisfied and superior look written all over his glowing face. _See, of course I know my spells_, he thought, feeling a wave of pride at his unknown skill.   
  


"Very good, Potter, 15 points to Gryffindor! I'm astounded - you know much more than we expected you to remember," McGonagall said with a knowing look on her face. "Though how you knew that particular volume of the spell, I have no idea..."   
  


_I could get used to being better than everyone else_, Harry thought, narrowing his eyes at the teacher's back as she walked away. _Maybe I can get that stage magician Dumbledore to let me skip the rest of school. I can't wait 2 years to get out of here._   
  


Shortly after, Hermione was pleased to see her flame sprout into a tiny, perfect bird before her eyes. She clapped her hands happily, and raised her hand, hoping to get some more points for her house.   
  


McGonagall strode over and gave only a short "Well done, Miss Granger," before pressing her lips back into a firm line and walking back to her desk. Outside, her demeanor expressed delight at Potter's trick, but inside she was feeling something very ominous in the pit of her stomach. Just where had the boy learned all that? It certainly wasn't from her class, that was for sure. Not even 7th years were taught such extravagant spells. _And Potter had done it without even looking ruffled_, she thought. Dumbledore would definitely have to know about this one. She shook off the strange feeling and dismissed the students, who started cleaning up and making their way towards the door.   
  


Across the room, Draco scowled, his own newly-transfigured chick forgotten. _First that Mudblood Granger and now Potter's ahead of me. If he ever becomes himself again, Father isn't going to be happy at all._   
  


Harry picked up the baby chick, who affectionately nibbled the tip of his finger. He planned to take it back to the dormitory and make a little home for it. He thought Ron and Hermione could manage without him, so he started towards the door.   
  


Draco saw Harry leaving - alone - and quickly gathered up his things to get there first.   
  


Harry was walking out the door, cradling the chick, when seemingly out of nowhere, a boy with platinum-blonde hair glided effortlessly towards him. The boy was Harry's exact height and had the most frosty-colored eyes Harry had ever seen, and he wore a proud look on his face that mirrored Harry's own. Harry had an almost uneasy feeling in his gut, so he drew himself up in case there was trouble.   
  


"Yes?" asked Harry.   
  


"Still think you're better than everyone, don't you, _Potter_?" Draco spat out the last word.   
  


"What the hell are you talking about? And who are you?" Harry asked, wondering who this long-faced pale boy was. The boy seemed to know him, but Ron and Hermione hadn't mentioned him at all. He felt familiar to Harry, too, but he didn't quite know why.   
  


Draco felt very confused. Why wouldn't Potter, of all people, know who he was? _He must be playing a joke on me_, he thought, narrowing his eyes.   
  


"What, you want to know which spell I did, is that it? Fine, it's '_Pulcinus_' - are you happy?" Harry said.   
  


"No, I want you to know your place around here, Potter! You can't just come in here two weeks late like you own the place and expect a warm welcome from the Slytherins!" Draco shot back, light glinting dangerously off his gray eyes.   
  


Slytherin. That word struck Harry in the chest like an electric current and he repeated the word in a whisper, "_Sssslytherin_..." His emerald eyes grew vacuous as he stared into Draco's confused expression. His fingers grew into elongated, shiny black claws and the skin on his hands spread into gleaming raven colored scales. He leaned towards Draco slowly without realizing it; the chick in his hands was screeching madly with fright and was trying to run out of his hands, but Harry squeezed and smothered it. Out of his slightly parted hands curled a thin trail of black smoke that solidified into a jet black snake that hissed madly. Raw power radiated off Harry's body in waves.   
  


The scales made their way up Harry's arms and then his neck - Harry was inches away from Draco's frightened face, opening his mouth to reveal elongating razor-sharp incisors - Harry could smell blood, he could almost taste it - his face was violently contorted, he looked like a demon -   
  


"Harry??"   
  


Harry blinked and the image was gone. A tiny black snake hissed and wriggled out of his grasp, and slithered away.   
  


"Yes?" he turned back to where the blonde boy was standing right in front of him, but the boy had run off. Harry could just see his black robe flutter around a distant corner, and then he was gone.   
  


Ron started towards Harry, reaching out a hand. "Is everything alright? Why were you talking to Malfoy?"   
  


"Malfoy? Is that his name?"   
  


"Yes, that's Draco Malfoy - _your enemy_. He hates all our guts, Harry, and he hates Mudbloods, so why would you be talking to him?" this time it was Hermione, malice written all over her face.   
  


Harry felt as though he had a cloud of thick fog in his head. He shook his head violently and blinked several times. "I, um, I don't know..." was his weak reply. He felt so unsteady he wondered how he was still standing. He felt as though he needed to throw up, so he started running back towards the Gryffindor Tower as fast as he could.   
  


Ron started to run after him - "Harry, wait, we've got Care of Magical Creatures next, you don't want to miss seeing Hag - " but Hermione put out a hand to stop him.   
  


"Let him go, Ron. He's only just come back," she said, suddenly feeling pity for Harry.   
  


Ron stopped and looked morosely at the stone ground. "Yeah, I guess you're right, 'Mione. At least Hagrid won't dock points from Gryffindor, he's one of Harry's good friends..."   
  


As they made their way outside, their voices became quiet and uneasy.   
  


"I still don't know he made all those chickens appear, do you?..."   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco had been late to his next class, Divination, and had lost several points for Slytherin, but he didn't care. He was so anxious he hadn't even noticed that several of his friends - Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle - were not even in the classroom.   
  


Draco was mentally disturbed.   
  


He sat, shaking, on a magenta pillow in a corner of the stuffy room.   
  


_It's impossible._   
  


Draco's face was pale and expressed the kind of alarm you'd see in a child that was stuck in a burning house all alone. He closed his eyes tightly.   
  


_Only Malfoys can turn into demons like that. And I've only done it a couple of times, when I was in a highly emotional state._   
  


Draco dropped his head into his hands and watched the ground. His eyes were wide. He sat back up and tried to swirl the tea that held the leaves Professor Trelawney wanted them to decipher, but his hands were shaking too badly and he dropped the cup. It shattered loudly on the floor, and the professor was there so quick she was like lightning.   
  


"Oh, Mr. Malfoy - dropping a soothsaying cup before emptying out the tea is never a good sign - oh, look, it shattered into 6 pieces - see, there - dear me, not good at all - ..." she stuttered.   
  


She watched the leaves settle in the liquid on the floor, her mouth opening in surprise. The class clustered around Professor Trelawney and Draco, mystified.   
  


"It seems you and a few you know are going to go through a great change of heart. Someone you know is not who you thought they were. Take all things into consideration and choose wisely," she said.   
  


A couple of girls started whispering about this "change of heart" and argued over which one of them Draco was going to pick for his girlfriend. Draco pretended not to hear them and looked at the ground in confusion.   
  


His eyes opened wide and he let out a blanched gasp.   
  


_No. It can't be. They couldn't go through with it, they just couldn't. He'd never believed they would go through with it, but there was no question about it now._   
  


Draco sprang up from the floor and sprinted towards the door, even more distressed and rattled. He didn't care if Professor Trelawney knew he was skipping the rest of her class. He ran to the dungeons as fast as he could, feeling as though he wasn't entirely in control of himself. When he rounded the corner and nearly crashed into someone with a halt (perfect hair still unruffled of course), the look on his face was a mix of contempt and fear.   
  


"Draco, what a pleasant surprise." 


	6. Chapter 5: Struggle

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
****   
**** ****

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
****   
**** ****

**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
****   
**** ****

**-Author Notes:** I'm so sorry for not being able to post this earlier - I started back at school on Wednesday and have had zero time to write. (Got a recap to start out with so I can remember my own story - heh.) It's also time for more cussing in the story. A little less descriptive, yes. But it's hard to get the creative juices flowing after being at school for 3 days ;(   
  
  


***   
  
  


"Yes, that's Draco Malfoy - _your enemy_. He hates all our guts, Harry, and he hates Mudbloods, so why would you be talking to him?" this time it was Hermione, malice written all over her face.   
  


Harry felt as though he had a cloud of thick fog in his head. He shook his head violently and blinked several times. "I, um, I don't know..." was his weak reply. He felt so unsteady he wondered how he was still standing. He felt as though he needed to throw up, so he started running back towards the Gryffindor Tower as fast as he could.   
  


Harry could hear Ron's voice floating desperately behind him, growing ever distant as he ran with more urgency towards the Gryffindor tower. He ran as fast as he could, not caring about who he bumped into along the way. The castle was a blur of stone walls and ornate portraits as he rushed past.   
  


Finally he made it back to the tower and sprinted inside to the Common Room. Luckily, the Gryffindors were all in their classes, so he had the whole place to himself. He threw himself on the floor in front of the fireplace, panting heavily. He hastily wiped the chick blood off on his robes.   
  


There was already a bright, warm fire going in the fireplace, even though it was afternoon and not even cold. Harry sat up and caught his breath quickly, but still felt very uneasy.   
  


"What the hell is going on around here...," he said out loud. He had never felt so strange.   
  


Harry stared deep into the crackling fire, his emerald green eyes contrasting sharply with the orange red flames.   
  


Something was definitely wrong, and he wasn't the only person feeling it.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco rounded the corner, his face a mixture of contempt and fear at the two people standing in front of him.   
  


"Draco, what a pleasant surprise."   
  


It was Pansy, and she was staring back at him seductively, almost knowingly.   
  


"Why aren't you in class?" Draco asked, folding his arms over his chest.   
  


"Oh... you'll see..." she cooed, crooking a finger at him. "Why don't you come with me?"   
  


"Never. I know what you're planning and you'll never get away with it. I'm the Slytherin Prince, do you honestly think you can do this to me and not have half the Common Room on your ass?" he replied. "No, I won't make this easier for you at all."   
  


She feigned a hurt look. "Oh, so that's how it's going to be, is it, Draco? Well, isn't it lucky that I brought some friends with me, then?"   
  


Suddenly, out of the shadows, two almost giant figures jumped out and grabbed Draco, who gasped. His slim frame struggled helplessly against Crabbe's and Goyle's trollish bodies.   
  


"No! Crabbe, Goyle? How could you do this to me?! I'll get my Father on your fathers - you'll never get away with this!!!" Draco's arms were now pinned behind his back and he was being blindfolded.   
  


The next thing he knew, he was being shoved rather roughly at great speed through the winding tunnels that made up the Slytherin dungeons. Draco refused to show signs of discomfort or sounds of pain as he was thrown into the rough stone walls every once in awhile.   
  


"Damn you, Parkinson!" he managed to choke as his face was slammed into what he assumed was a stone gargoyle. He tasted blood.   
  


Finally, he was led into a dark room and he heard a door slam behind him. Draco was thrown into the wall again, and felt something hard jut into his spine. He winced in pain, thankful for the dark, but was careful not to whimper.   
  


"Why the hell are you doing this?" he asked, his voice spitting with contempt.   
  


_It wasn't my fault. It wasn't. It was that stupid house-elf. How was I supposed to know Potter was actually going to act on that information he recieved? We all thought he was the gallant and brave Gryffindor who would never hurt a fly... unless... it was for his friends... oh, Merlin, I should have killed that boy when I had the chance._   
  


"Okay... I know I should have done something to stop him... anyone could have made a mist--" he cut himself off. Malfoys didn't make mistakes. "...Just let me go! We can go find him and torture him, you don't have to do this - "   
  


Someone had pulled him off the wall and shoved him down, where his knees painfully hit the hard floor. He grimaced again as he felt an unpleasant tingling jolt its way up his legs and he clenched his teeth in pain.   
  


"No, Malfoys don't make mistakes. That's why you need to pay for yours - and your father's."   
  


It was Blaise this time.   
  


"Damnit, Zabini, how many Slytherins have you got lurking around in here? Is your jealousy for me bad enough you have to get all your friends involved just so you can feel all high and mighty in this?" Draco retorted.   
  


That was a mistake. Right away he was struck, slapped across the face by Blaise's strong hand.   
  


Draco smiled weakly in the dark, but no one could see him now. No one even knew where to find him and it was his own fault for leading himself straight to them.   
  


He looked down and closed his eyes, waiting for the next blows he knew would come.   
  


And they did, one quickly right after another. And he knew no one could help him.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry had been sitting up straight, staring with great intensity into the fire, when suddenly he recoiled and doubled over. A shooting pain had begun in his left side, and he was now pressing his forehead against the floor, clutching his ribs and panting. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to slowly subside.   
  


_What the hell_, he thought, the pain in his ribs now a dull throbbing. He leaned back against the couch and opened his eyes again.   
  


And, suddenly, there it was again.   
  


It felt like he had been slapped very hard against the face, and it was now stinging as though he had ripped all his skin off and dunked his head into a bowl of rubbing alcohol. He grit his teeth and ran to the dormitory to check in a mirror - there was nothing showing on his face. It wasn't red and didn't have any hand prints on it, yet he knew he distinctly felt a hand.   
  


He slowly made his way back to the fire, feeling dazed.   
  


He knew this place was weird. Hell, he knew that _he_ was weird. Something unreal had certainly happened between him and "Draco Malfoy" not too long ago, and he knew that his body had changed somehow... he didn't remember exactly what, though. He had the feeling about it that he'd always gotten when he tried to remember too much about how his parents died - he could remember just a little, but everything else was locked up somewhere, and he didn't have the key. It was like the feeling one gets when they try to remember their infancy years. It just can't be found.   
  


Without warning, Harry's body was suddenly caught in a whirling sensation of being on fire. He yelled loudly in pain and forced his rolling eyes to look down at himself, his hands violently shaking. It was incredibly hard to control his body. Wait - what was that, he wondered -   
  


Harry's body was giving off an eerie, almost unearthly green glow.   
  


He watched in shock as the greenish tint spread off his body in waves.   
  


_Draco. It has to be him. He did something weird to me today, I know it. I must have... a spell on me or something. I need to find him so this pain will end._   
  


Harry clenched his jaw and his fists together and forced himself to stand up, on shaky legs. He tried to run out the Common Room door, but his legs wouldn't move faster than a shuffle. He tottered on his feet near the portrait-door, and almost fell, but caught his balance at the last minute because the blinding green pain had suddenly stopped.   
  


Seizing this moment, he ran as hard as he could down the stairs. He didn't even know where he was going.   
  


_Why can't someone show me around this fucking place sometime?_   
  


Harry would almost feel foolish if he didn't have such a desperate feeling to save someone. His shoulders were weighed down with dread and he felt alert, awake, as though on a caffiene rush. He closed his eyes and in his mind's eye saw the image of a dank, dark dungeon with an eerie green glow not unlike the one that had been surrounding him. Realization sunk in and he knew he was feeling another person's pain.   
  


He immediately forgot all about his accusations of Draco and fled insanely down the hallways, being drawn to the dungeons with every fiber of his body and soul. Every couple of seconds he felt a blow landing on his cheek, or his stomach, or - he shuddered - he would feel that awful burned-alive sensation.   
  


The whole way to the dungeons, Harry's eyes were closed.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco bitterly spat blood in Blaise's face. He already had a black eye and someone had broken a couple of his fingers with their shoe by forcing them backwards into the top of his hand.   
  


But that was nothing compared to the Crucio they kept using on him. Draco writhed and screamed, feeling its blinding pain for a long time even after his attackers stopped the spell. It hadn't been the first time he had felt it. His father could get very nasty when he was angry.   
  


Draco lay on the floor weakly and cradled his fingers against his chest. Blood trickled out of his swollen lip and he nearly prayed that the torture would stop.   
  


"You're all cowards," he spat. This earned him another hard blow to the stomach.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry felt like his ribs had been cracked in half. He was now tearing through a dank dungeon, running insanely past dozens of rooms that he didn't even take a glance into.   
  


THIS WAS IT.   
  


Harry skidded to a halt and almost crashed into a wall in his desperation. It was as though the voice of Merlin himself had shouted into his ear, that this was the door he needed to open.   
  


He pulled out his wand and forced himself forward through the dark - he charmed the lock open and was forcing open the heavy wooden door -   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco suddenly felt a presence outside the door. He heard the faint click of the latch being spelled open.   
  


Was he truly being saved, after all he'd done to the students and teachers at the school? Five years of superiority and hell he'd given the school and after all this, someone still saw something good in him?   
  


_It's too good to be true_, he thought weakly, as his body shook violently. _I've been under the Cruciatus Curse too long and now I'm experiencing hallucinations. No. No one would save me..._   
  


But before he could finish his thought, the heavy door flew open and a familiar voice pierced through the darkness to the very heart of Draco. 


	7. Chapter 6: Saviour

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
  


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
  


**-Author Notes:** Chapters 5 and 6 (that would be the last one and this one) were especially hard to write, which is very strange because these two chapters I had planned from the very beginning of the story. In fact, they're the only plans I had, and I wanted to write it down to a "T" because it came to me in a dream. (Seriously.) Didn't really turn out right, though... I don't know exactly what it was that went wrong in the last chapter.   


I think this one turned out really sweet though. Tell me what you think :)   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry threw the door open so hard it bounced off the stone walls; the sound echoed around the damp chamber. Even though it was very dark, Harry could see blurred outlines of people grabbing a pale boy's white-blond hair and forcefully pulling his head backwards. It looked like they were kicking him in the back.   
  


"DRACO! Can you hear me? Are you alright? Say something!" Harry shouted.   
  


As soon as he yelled, the people let go of Draco and slinked away into the shadows. Both Harry and Draco faintly heard a girl shout, "Let's go!" and a few seconds later, a door creak open and slam shut. Draco slumped to the floor weakly.   
  


Harry let the room slowly come into focus. He had been blinded with pain only a few minutes before and everything was a little hazy. Or maybe it was that greenish smoke in the air; it was like what had surrounded him in the Common Room earlier. It was at this point that he knew for sure he had shared Draco's pain somehow. And he was still sharing it - slowly, his left side throbbed with a dull, aching pain in several of his ribs.   
  


Harry quickly ran over to Draco and helped him to his knees. Harry watched as the dim green fog surrounding them both slowly faded away. Draco looked imploringly up into the dark around Harry's face, searching. Harry felt like a tragic fist had closed around his chest. It was heart-rending, the way Draco looked up at him.   
  


Harry didn't even question the fact that he could see Draco's every facial feature expressed through the dark. Even if he had thought about it, he would have only been able to come to the conclusion that he had cat's eyes or something.   
  


"Draco, can you see me...?"   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco felt his attackers drop their hold on him. He wilted to the floor, clutching at his ribs in pain.   
  


Strong, wild hands pulled him up to his knees. Draco couldn't see anything through his pain, but he could definitely feel that this person was trying to be gentle.   
  


Draco looked at where he thought his rescuer's face should be, but could only see glinting green sparks - Harry's eyes. He squinted, his face contorted with pain.   
  


Harry's voice floated through the darkness. "Draco, can you see me...?"   
  


Draco groaned. He couldn't even talk, the pain in his side was so bad. He doubled over and pressed his forehead against the cold stone floor, panting for breath.   
  


The strong hands never left Draco's body. Slowly they gripped Draco's other side and a shoulder and stayed clear of his broken ribs and fingers, as if somehow knowing exactly where he had taken the worst blows. Draco felt himself pulled to his feet, where he tottered and fell as he left consciousness.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry pulled Draco to his feet and held on to him very gingerly. The boy stumbled and fell into Harry's arms. Harry picked him up and cradled his limp body as he made his way as quickly out the door as he could.   
  


Harry knew he was strong, but he had no idea his adrenaline could kick in so fast. _Or is it adrenaline?_ he wondered. He shook his head and followed a long tunnel.   
  


"Hello? Somebody help! I've got a boy - he's been beaten and needs real help!" he called out. His desperate voice rang off the walls.   
  


Suddenly, a door flew open and a teacher with shoulder-length, greasy black hair and deep black robes strode out, making his way quickly over to Harry.   
  


"What's all the racket - " he started, then stared down at Harry, who was glistening with sweat and holding a lifeless Draco in his arms. Several of Draco's fingers were bent at odd angles and there were spatters of blood on his pale white skin.   
  


"Quick, bring him to my office. _Immediately_, Potter," he finished.   
  


Harry followed orders and carried Draco to a cavernous room filled with all manner of strange substances and liquids. There was an eerie feeling in the air, but Harry didn't mind. He had to save Draco.   
  


The teacher cleared a desk of some jars filled with a foul vinegar stench and muttered a spell, charming the surface clean. "Set him down over here."   
  


Harry carefully lay Draco's body on the table, avoiding his left side still.   
  


He knew the blonde had been beaten badly, but he didn't know the magnitude until he was in a better light. The sight was horrible. Blood had soaked Draco's hair in several spots, making him seem as though he had ruby streaks. Fingers were broken, there were bruises on his cheeks. As Snape checked over Draco's body, Harry noticed many more dark abrasions contrasting with his moon-colored skin.   
  


Harry's stomach lurched as he looked helplessly at Draco, hoping with all his might that he would just wake up and be okay. He felt like he needed to go jump out a window. No - he felt as if he already had and was falling, defenseless, from the sky. He turned around and stifled back a cry, wiping his glistening face on his sleeve.   
  


"Malfoy has been badly beaten - what happened? Why were you there?" the teacher asked.   
  


"I...," Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't easily tell this man exactly what had happened - he was sure that even in the wizarding world, not many people had ESP or anything of the sort. "I just...," he stopped again, but somehow he felt he could trust this man. At least, he could if the man was as concerned about Draco as he looked. He swallowed hard, and then spilled the whole story from where he had been in his Common Room until he had found help. He purposefully neglected to mention why he hadn't been in class.   
  


"I see," the man said, looking at him very closely, as though Harry had just said he wasn't really male, but female. "By the way, Professor Dumbledore has told me all about your predicament over the summer and at St. Mungo's, and I am supposed to introduce myself to you again. I am Severus Snape, the Potions Master here at Hogwarts. And you are advised not to do anything stupid in my class this year."   
  


Harry looked back down at Draco. "Can't you do something about his injuries?"   
  


"Not by myself. I will need to take him to the hospital wing."   
  


"I - I'm going with you!" Harry stammered.   
  


Snape almost smiled. _It's about time for their coming together_, he thought. _I never would have believed it to happen, myself. Something dreadful must have happened._   
  


Snape conjured what seemed like an invisible stretcher, put Draco's limp body on it, and started to walk it outside. Harry looked around at the office once more and then ran to keep up behind the professor.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry couldn't sleep at all that night. He skipped dinner in the great hall, again, and went straight to his four-poster bed. He was going to sit in front of the fire like he did before, but he saw the chick's blood smeared on the floor and decided the memories of what had happened that day was too painful to relive.   
  


And now he was lying here in bed, watching snippets of what looked like a movie unfold inside his head. He could see through Draco's eyes, watching helplessly through the dark as blow after blow was laid to his body. "_Crucio!!_" someone shouted, and his entire vision lighted up in electric green. Then he saw a door open and silhouetted against the dim light outside was a figure of a boy with unruly hair sticking up. As Harry watched through Draco's eyes, the boy's outline transformed into what looked like some sort of beast.   
  


Harry blinked and the image had gone.   
  


He felt sick with worry. He had been pacing and running his fingers through his hair all afternoon and all evening. It was so messy now, the back of his head looked almost like a soft hedgehog.   
  


He nervously bit down on a fingernail.   
  


_I've got to see him_, he thought.   
  


He jumped out of his bed, almost landing on Ron, who had fallen out of his own bed, dragging all the covers with him. Ron had been avoiding Harry the whole rest of the day, trying to give him his much-needed space, but Harry had barely noticed.   
  


Harry pulled out his wand and muttered an invisibility spell - a spell only taught to those who were at the innermost of Auror training - and crept quietly out of the room.   
  


He noiselessly made his way through the corridors, as silent as a slithering snake. Once or twice he stumbled accidently through a ghost in his hurry, but luckily they only looked around confusedly.   
  


Then he was climbing stairs, all the way to the top of the hospital wing. He noticed a single occupied bed on the opposite side of the room, held by a very familiar silver-blonde head. Harry practically leapt over to Draco's bedside and undid his invisibility charm.   
  


Draco's middle was bandaged up and so were parts of his head, but at least his fingers seemed to be all healed. His head was turned to the side and his expression was no longer of pain, but of almost disbelief.   
  


_It's hard to read people's expressions when they're not all here_, Harry thought.   
  


Harry reached down and covered Draco's hand with his own.   
  


The thought had just popped out of Harry's head but somehow he felt as if he'd been thinking it ever since he first laid eyes on Draco today:   
  


_I only know your name but somehow I feel as if I've known your whole being all my life. It wasn't your fault, what happened to you tonight. Somehow I feel like it was mine, not yours. And I don't even think I'm friends with you, judging by how you spoke to me today, but if I hurt you in any way I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, because no one should have to go through what you had to tonight._   
  


Draco seemed to know exactly what Harry had said, even though he wasn't awake. Harry traced a finger across Draco's cheek to wipe away a silvery tear that had somehow escaped, and reached back for Draco's hand.   
  


Moonlight from a window spread thinly around Draco's head on the pillow. Draco's hair glowed brightly, making it look like he was an angel that had been shot down. _An angel with a bloody halo_, Harry thought with a smile. He hoped he could be friends with this boy.   
  


Draco stirred beneath him and Harry realized he had been increasing his grip on Draco's hand. He watched Draco's stormy gray eyes open and for a split second, their eyes met.   
  


Harry made an inaudible gasp and willed himself invisible again, even without the charm. He took his hand off Draco's and ran out of the hospital wing.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco had been having a horrible dream. He had relived his attack in his subconscious, but instead of Harry coming to save him, Harry had transformed into the demon again.   
  


Feeling something light tickle across his cheek softly, he shifted and forced his eyes open, only to stare at a raven-haired boy who was staring intently back. He was outlined by moonlight and looked almost like a spirit.   
  


_Harry Potter was leaning over him._   
  


Or at least Draco thought he had been. All he saw was a pair of avada-kedavra colored eyes stare and widen as his face contracted in a gasp of surprise. And as quickly as he had seen it, the image had flickered and blurred, and then it was gone.   
  


For a few seconds after the vision before him had left, Draco felt a hand linger on his own. The same strong hand that had saved him earlier. And then, like a shadow, it had gone too.   
  


Draco almost smiled. He turned over and immediately hissed at a dull ache that had started in his left side. It slowly spread and Draco realized he was now feeling it in his chest. He pulled up his shirt to check, but all he saw was a slight discoloration on a few of his ribs. His heart hadn't been touched.   
  


_Not physically, at least..._


	8. Chapter 7: Who Are You?

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
  


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
  


**-Author Notes:** You guys have _no idea_ how happy all of your reviews made me. There's nothing better than coming home after a rough day at school to find an inbox full of comments. Thank you so much :)   


Also, to answer a request I got by review - I'm not going to make Harry get raped by Vernon. I've seen countless other fanfics here that include that aspect, and I'm going to try to make mine as different as possible. I did like your other idea though... ;)   


This chapter is a bit short (and should have been waaay longer), and I'm sorry for that. The next one I'll try to make longer, I promise!   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry woke up, his hair extremely ruffled and a silly grin plastered on his face. He made his way to the Common Room, where several other Gryffindors were up and still in their pajamas.   
  


"You look really dazed," said Hermione. "You didn't get hit by that confusion spell Seamus accidently cast in his sleep, did you? I know Ron got hit, so he's in the hospital wing. What about you?"   
  


Harry shook his head, still grinning. He had had a very good night's sleep after visiting his hopeful new friend in the hospital wing. A nice, empty, dreamless sleep. He reached up a hand to automatically try and smooth down his hair, but as usual, it was like fighting a losing battle.   
  


"So what time do we have to be in class?" he asked the bushy-haired girl they called Hermione. He sank down on a couch and stretched out.   
  


"Harry, we don't _have_ classes today - it's Saturday," she corrected him. "Honestly, you and Ron aren't going to get very many O.W.L.s at all if you keep on at this rate."   
  


Harry stared at her, the hot feeling of indignation quickly filling his face. "Geez, I was just asking. You can't blame a guy for being confused after getting hardly any sleep," he retorted. "You don't have to act like you're the only smart one around here, you know. You weren't the one who made the flock of chickens appear, remember?"   
  


She looked rather taken aback at his remarks. She blushed the color of Ron's hair and pressed her lips together in a thin way not unlike Professor McGonagall's.   
  


Harry stuck his tongue out at her, not playing around this time.   
  


She seemed to have sensed this because she said, "You're being a real bastard. And I can't believe you didn't tell us about what you did to poor Colin!"   
  


She stormed off, grabbing an armload of books. On her way to her dormitory she passed Ginny Weasley, and they stopped to whisper. Ginny's eyes went wide and she looked, surprised, over at Harry.   
  


_That was real subtle, Hermione_, thought Harry as he raised and lowered his eyebrows suggestively at Ginny, smirking. She turned bright red and rushed with Hermione into the girls' dormitory.   
  


_I never knew meaningless flirting could be so fun. Even if they think I'm serious, they'll find out soon enough I feel nothing for them. Lousy Gryffindors, always trying to be sincere all the time. I don't even think I belong in this house - it feels like a mistake._   
  


He got up, put on a heavy black robe over his pajamas and walked out of the portrait to go to the Great Hall. He needed some breakfast; it was the only meal he'd been having for days.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco awoke to the sound of a familiar voice.   
  


"Hey you over there, you with the white hair. Is that your normal hair color or are you in fact really old? It makes me so confused. If you're really old, does that mean my own hair is on fire?"   
  


Draco shut his eyes tight. He had been having such a good sleep, and now it had to end because of that stupid git Weasley.   
  


"Shut your mouth," he said.   
  


Draco threw his covers off and sat up, flexing his fingers. _Damn, Pomfrey is good_, he thought.   
  


"Well, I'll be going to the Great Hall now. That's to go eat. Don't get too confused, Weasley, or you won't be able to tell whether you're poor or not. There's going to be nothing worse than seeing a red-haired misfit thinking he's the richest wizard in Hogwarts, now, is there?" and with that, Draco grabbed his robe and left the room.   
  


"Huh?" was Ron's spaced out reply.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry sat in the Great Hall, surrounded by other Gryffindors, who were all eating breakfast. Harry was the only one in his pajamas.   
  


And he hated sitting there with them, so he decided to move. He grabbed a piece of toast and a goblet of pumpkin juice and stood up.   
  


He sat on the floor between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables, still munching his toast. He set his cup of pumpkin juice on the floor.   
  


People began to stare, and stood up to get a better look.   
  


"What're you doing down there on the floor, Harry?"   
  


"Has he gone off his rocker?"   
  


Harry was completely nonplussed, even when the Slytherins started to jeer at him.   
  


"Hey, Potter finally knows where he fits in!"   
  


Draco Malfoy scowled. He actually admired Harry for having the courage to do that in front of almost the whole school... though he wouldn't admit it to his friends.   
  


_Well, I thought they were my friends_, he thought.   
  


People continued to taunt and sneer, and Malfoy continued to get more and more aware of how much of a bastard he'd been to Harry in the last couple of years. All Harry had done was refuse his friendship, but he seemed to be past that now, didn't he?   
  


The noise in the Great Hall grew crashing as students from Gryffindor and Slytherin stood up to either defend or attack Harry. The verbal fight soon turned almost physical, as people began to pull out their wands, all thoughts of breakfast forgotten.   
  


Draco was the only Slytherin left sitting down at his table. He watched Blaise hastily aim his wand at Lee Jordan.   
  


_This is getting ridiculous_, he thought. _It's just Potter, and he's just acting really weird._   
  


On the other hand, he didn't want to get blamed for any hexes that were about to fly from peoples' wands. He was the Slytherin Prince, after all, and would definitely go to detention for something like this - especially knowing Professor McGonagall. He only knew one way to make people stop. He also needed to find out what was up with Harry.   
  


Draco picked up his plate of eggs and his pumpkin juice and rose from his seat. Slowly people from the Slytherin table turned to stare at him as he walked around the table and sat, cross-legged, next to Harry.   
  


Harry looked up at him, the toast dropping from his hand to the floor in surprise.   
  


"Are you sure you want to do this?" he quietly hissed at Draco, who leaned in to whisper in his ear a reply.   
  


"Yes, now shut up and eat, Potter. You saved me last night so this is how I'm repaying you."   
  


Harry grinned and turned to Draco's own ear. "You know I don't need saving, right? It's actually amusing to see them pull their wands at each other. I don't even know why people love me so much. I know it's because of defeating Voldemort and all that, but being a dark lord sounds pretty cool, if you ask me. And yet there are people here ready to defend me. It'd be pretty damn funny to see some people in here get cursed, you have to admit it."   
  


_Oh, really_, thought Draco. _This just keeps getting stranger and stranger. Something's definitely wrong._   
  


Both boys were grinning now, one at what he thought was a silent joke, and the other at an opportunity to threaten the other.   
  


"Don't you worry about what your friends will think if they see you with me down here, Potter?" Draco whispered.   
  


"As far as I'm concerned, I have no friends here. They treat me like shit, so I'd much rather be alone. I don't even feel like I belong in Gryffindor, anyhow. I'd much rather be friends with you."   
  


"Friends? Are you sure about that, Potter? I could use you up and throw you away the next day and you'd never know."   
  


"Yes, I'm sure." Harry didn't mention that there was a certain radiation he felt whenever he was around this boy, and that it always made him want to stay around him longer. Harry felt almost intoxicated with glee.   
  


Harry stuck out a hand to Draco, who looked at it for a second, and then flicked his gray eyes to meet with Harry's. Both boys grinned and shook hands at the same time. There were loud gasps from both the Slytherin and the Gryffindor tables, and at the head table, Albus Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eye.   
  


"Wanna get out of here?" Draco asked, an idea quickly forming in his shrewd head.   
  


"Yeah," answered Harry. They stood up, and Draco reached across the Slytherin table to take two crispy pieces of toast off of Blaise's plate. Blaise scowled as Draco smirked at him and offered one to Harry. "Since you dropped yours," was his excuse. Harry narrowed his eyes and grinned at him, taking the toast from Draco's fingers with his teeth, earning several more gasps from the Gryffindors.   
  


They stepped over their half-empty plates and goblets sitting on the floor, and made their way outside the Great Hall, both of them still in their pajamas.   
  
  


***   
  
  


As soon as they were outside, standing by the lake, and breathing the fresh morning air, Draco pulled out his wand and aimed it level with Harry's eyes, who gave a start but kept his mouth closed.   
  


"I'd really like to be friends with you, Harry, but I know you can't really be him. So who are you, and what have you done with him? I know he would have never saved me from an unforgiveable curse. And on top of that, he would _never_ have said he thought the Dark Lord was cool, or given up his precious seat at the Gryffindor table."   
  


Harry gave him a sad look, his eyes widening.   
  


Draco rolled his eyes. "What's more, I know about the Polyjuice Potion that was used to try and trick me in our second year, and I know about the metamorphmaguses who can make themselves look like other people."   
  


Harry started to reply that he _was_ being himself, but Draco cut him off, rage creeping unbidden into his eyes.   
  


"I already feel stupid for wanting to be your friend, so don't make me do something I'll regret. Just spill it, whoever you are." 


	9. Chapter 8: The Curse

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
  


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
  


**-Author Notes:** Sorry it took so long. I'm really bogged down in schoolwork - got no less than 4 huge assignments due in the next couple of weeks from _one single teacher_. What a bitch. 

Oh yes, I've got big plans lurking in this fanfic. Read carefully and stay tuned. :)   
  
  


***   
  
  


"Well?"   
  


Harry didn't know what to say. Draco's words felt like a knife to the chest, and he could feel warm rage spilling like blood throughout his body. He narrowed his eyes.   
  


"I'm Harry Potter, and no one else. I don't know what your problem with me is, because I've lost my memory. I woke up in a strange place and some old guy brought me here and I don't remember or know a single person. All I know is that I thought you were going to be my friend, and that's all I wanted."   
  


He flung his hand up to knock Draco's wand out of his hand.   
  


Draco's eyes flashed angrily and he pushed Harry backward until he fell. Draco put his hands on either side of Harry's head and leaned in dangerously close. Harry widened his eyes in curiosity.   
  


Draco deeply searched Harry's bright green eyes with his dark grey ones. Harry quickened his breath at the touch of someone practically lying on top of him and staring through him with such intensity, and his breath caught in his throat. If anyone saw the way they were positioned, what would they think...?   
  


After what seemed like ages, Draco sighed and pulled himself off of Harry.   
  


"Fine, Potter, I believe you. But if you try any funny business with me, you'll regret it," he said.   
  


He flashed his famous smirk and extended a hand to help Harry up. He let his hand drift on Harry's for the same amount of time Harry had let his own linger on Draco's in the infirmary.   
  


Draco picked up his wand and headed back inside the castle, leaving Harry all alone by the lake.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco was inside the dim corridors, walking briskly to the library.   
  


_I don't think he's lying, but something else is definitely up. The air is so heavy when I'm around him. It makes me dazed. I need to get to the bottom of this._   
  


He slipped inside the library without Madam Pince noticing him, then stopped and leaned against a far wall. He needed to get to the Restricted Section and he was unsure of how exactly to get there.   
  


Draco watched Madam Pince finish putting away a dark leatherbound book and return to her seat at the front of the library. He smirked as he realized how he could get to the Restricted books. He crouched behind a bookcase and pulled out his wand.   
  


Madam Pince was just putting her spectacles back on when a huge crash and a puff of purple smoke filled the far end of the library. She leapt up from her seat and ran through the fog, yelling.   
  


"PEEVES! I'll get you for disturbing my library! I'll turn you into Headmaster Dumbledore - "   
  


Draco grinned and crept noiselessly away from the smoke to the other end of the library. He entered the Restricted Section and found the bookcase he was looking for - "Curses". He didn't know which book to pick, so he scanned the titles until he found one that could sate his curiousity.   
  


_Timeless Family Curses and Their Attributes_, by Maeve Vadimus.   
  


He pulled it off the shelf and flipped quickly through the pages, until he came to a chapter titled "Demons". Inside, there was a very vivid drawing of a black, shiny-scaled, snakelike and taloned monster with bright green flashing eyes. _This is it_, he thought, bending down the page corner.   
  


Draco slipped the book under his cloak and slipped out of the library undetected, as Madam Pince's screechy voice carried through the halls. Draco heard frantic footsteps and ducked behind a suit of armor just as Professor Flitwick ran past.   
  


Draco quietly ran to his common room, the heavy book in his arms.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry was sitting at the edge of the lake, watching the moist clouds begin to gather over Hogwarts. He stared down into the lake.   
  


_Should I have told Draco what happened to me? He doesn't seem to like me much._   
  


His brow furrowed. Why was it that the air seemed so alive when the two of them stood together? It practically crackled with electricity, and he knew they both noticed it. The air was brimming with faint feelings of déja vu.   
  


He had seen deep-set confusion in Draco's eyes when he stared at Harry. They were drawn to each other, but it seemed to be out of hate. The way Draco had glared, and the way Harry's appearance had changed... what had happened to cause this?   
  


_I feel like I should know something, way in the back of my mind. It's like a memory covered in cobwebs I can't seem to clean off._   
  


_ If only I could remember._   
  


He sat there, staring, for a very long time.   
  


Later he would lay down on the grass and focus his troubled eyes on the sky. He would watch the clusters of stars beginning to appear through the patchy gray clouds. And he would feel the light mist falling from the sky, landing gently on his face, the warm sensation lulling him to sleep.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco sat and crossed his legs. He closed the curtains around his four-poster bed that was lodged in the corner, and pulled the heavy black book to rest on his knees. He opened the thin-leafed pages to the one he had marked earlier.   
  


_"The demon curse is the oldest family curse in the wizarding world. Because it is so old, not much is known about it, except that it can cause malicious feelings between members of two of the oldest wizarding families in our world. It can wandlessly transform a wizard or witch into what others call 'a wrathful, scaly black devil' - and when that happens, there may be no hope for them if they stay in that second form too long. So far we have noticed connections between a family of black-haired generations and a family of blonde-haired generations, with this curse. However, we have no idea what words were uttered to create this plague, nor what was the reason behind it. We withhold information about the families' names in order to keep them in privacy."_   
  


Draco audibly gasped. This had to be the one, all the facts added up. A black-haired family against a white-haired family for innumerable generations - this explained the malice there had always been between himself and Harry, and his father with Harry's father.   
  


_And probably other generations before that_, he thought.   
  


He lowered his eyes and quickly scanned the rest of the page, searching for more clues, but there were only pictures of a boy transforming into a devil. The devil proceeded to roar loudly, causing Draco to slam the book shut before anyone could hear.   
  


He pulled the covers back, tucking the book back inside his cloak. He stood up and snuck outside the dormitory, which held a few sleeping Slytherins. He walked quickly and quietly to the Common Room, and when he saw who was there, he stopped and ducked behind a wall.   
  


_Oh shit_, he thought, his emotions suddenly spiking.   
  


It was Blaise and Pansy, and they were talking excitedly, no doubt about getting to punish Draco the other night. His breath quickened in his chest as he eavesdropped on the two.   
  


"If that stupid hero-boy Potter hadn't gotten in our way..."   
  


"Yes, who knows where Draco could have ended up - we could have killed him and no one would have ever known - "   
  


"He has more money than God. I wonder who it would have all gone to if the solitary heir to it had died!"   
  


"Certainly not you, Pansy."   
  


"Oh, but a girl can dream, can't she?" Here there was a high-pitched giggle. "And we need to decide how to get at Potter. He's been evading our clutches for so long."   
  


"We need a new plan. Personally, I know of a rather _unfortunate_ plague on the Malfoy name, and I know Draco wouldn't want that getting about the school... I wonder if we can blackmail him to kill Potter for us."   
  


Draco almost gasped. _How the hell does Blaise know about that?!_   
  


There was a cackle of glee from Pansy. "And we could make him do other things, too..."   
  


"Pansy, don't get any lecherous ideas! You know how I love you. You know I can't bear to see you hanging all over him like you do."   
  


"Oh, but it's so much fun for me, Blaise..." There was more than a hint of seductiveness in her voice.   
  


Draco caught his breath again and decided he didn't need to hear the rest of their conversation, so he crouched low and made his way behind a table. From there, he crept behind the couch the two were sitting on, and then dipped quickly into a shadow on the opposite wall. He stopped for a few moments to make sure they hadn't seen him, and then he deftly ran along the wall to the common room door.   
  


He slipped out of a small space in the door, much like the snake that had slid like water from Harry's grasp, and ran through the dungeons.   
  


Once he had set the book outside of the now-balmy library, he quietly made his way to the Hogwarts lake. He knew exactly where to find Harry.   
  


_...But how, exactly, he couldn't say, and he didn't stop to think about it._


	10. Chapter 9: The Death

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
  


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
  


**-Author Notes:** Still got tons of homework. I'm amazed I pulled this chapter out of my head tonight. Be thankful! :D   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His insides were fluttering as if he had swallowed a jar of moths and they were now fighting to get out of his stomach. He put a hand over his middle and tottered slightly on his feet. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this... but at the same time, it was what he had wanted all along.   
  


It was his wedding day.   
  


Harry reached up a hand and fiddled with a white rose that was pinned to the top of the dress he was wearing. He brushed away a lock of hip-length jet black hair and looked back upwards. He turned his face to the sky and breathed deeply, desperately trying to will away his nervous feelings.   
  


While Harry was absent-mindedly smoothing his dress and still fidgeting, a strong hand reached up next to him to pull his own away. A familiar, taintless voice filled his ears and shook him gently out of his thoughts.   
  


"Are you ready?"   
  


Harry blushed inwardly and turned to look into a pair of pristine, spectral-blue eyes.   
  


"Yes. I'm ready for anything, as long as you're here."   
  


The eyes smiled.   
  


Harry turned to face the handsome man next to him and instantly felt a blinding pain in the left side of his stomach. It was deep and he felt as though he was being burned from the inside. He looked down and saw crimson ribbons beginning to seep through his once-snow white-dress. The pain was throbbing.   
  


He slowly looked back up, horrified, into the pale eyes that had now hardened to a steely gray. They were narrowed and the man held up a long, thin wand that was half covered in what Harry thought was his own blood.   
  


"_No_...," he forced out in a shaky whisper.   
  


"I had to do it - you understand," the voice answered back quietly.   
  


Harry felt as though his limbs were turning into lead. His heart felt as though it had trembled and died, but somehow he was still alive. He covered his burning wound with his hand and gasped at the pain, almost doubling over.   
  


He grit his teeth. "All this time and you still went along with everyone else. I know you love me, I know it. _Why did you do it?_"   
  


The pain was blinding his vision and his eyelids were getting heavier.   
  


"You know how this pains me... please don't make it any harder. Don't fight it," the voice hovered back to Harry's ears through the darkness. Two hands reached out to clasp Harry's face gently. The bloody wand left red stains on his cheeks.   
  


Harry screeched and pulled the hands away from his face in rage. He opened his eyes, which had turned a deep and deadly green. He no longer felt the pain in his side. In fact, he felt numb. And betrayed.   
  


"What's the point of living if you CAN'T LIVE WILDLY?" he shrieked, squeezing his lover's hands a bit too tightly. The other man yelped in pain as his own blood began to run over his fingers.   
  


Harry closed his eyes and was engulfed in a venomous green rage. His long hair lifted and flowed around his body, swirling fast above his head as though he were in the middle of a hurricane.   
  


"NO!" the man yelled.   
  


"YES!" Harry shot back, grinning.   
  


He opened his eyes and saw the churning green light surrounding him. He began to laugh disturbingly loudly with deranged mirth. He held out his hands and phantom green flames seemed to grow out of his palms. He pressed one hand into the man's chest, and his other hand into his own chest. Their hearts were covered. Blood began to drip to the floor in a bright red puddle from his exertion.   
  


Harry blinked back tears and breathed, "_Diavlos Amoren Estoyes Malademnus..!_"   
  


White-hot light spiked out between his fingers and drowned the two lovers. Almost instantly, the light was gone and they were crumpling, lifeless, to the ground. There they laid dead, their hands clasped together, and a poison-black tear had escaped each eye.   
  


Harry was plunged into darkness.   
  
  


***   
  
  


"NO! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO ME!"   
  


Harry squeezed his hand around something in a bone-breaking clench.   
  


"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE - "   
  


A stinging pain shot across Harry's cheek.   
  


"POTTER! Wake up! What the bloody hell are you dreaming about?! You're hurting me!"   
  


Harry forced open his eyes and immediately saw a pair of silver eyes, narrowed and glinting furiously into Harry's own. Harry's hand was clamped shut around the chest of Draco's robes. He widened his eyes and let go, scooting away quickly. Why did I dream I was a girl?, he thought in confusion.   
  


"I'm - I'm sorry - "   
  


Draco scowled and rubbed his chest. "Merlin, Potter, you've got some grip. I think you pierced my nipple."   
  


"What happened?" Harry asked, looking embarrassed at Draco's comment.   
  


"How should I know? It was your dream, not mine."   
  


"Well, I was at a wedding or something, and I got killed - don't laugh, Draco - "   
  


"_You_, have a wedding? The girls only want you because you're famous!" Draco busted out in laughter.   
  


Harry lunged forward and pushed Draco onto the grass and pretended to hit him. Draco swiped back and only managed to clip Harry's ear. Harry sincerely laughed for the first time since he'd gotten his memory back. It felt good to laugh. He felt pure and the butterflies were back in his stomach again.   
  


"At least this time they're good butterflies...," he said quietly to himself.   
  


"What?" asked Draco.   
  


"Er - nothing - "   
  


"I bet this has to do with your dream. Who were you marrying, Potter?" Draco asked with a sneer.   
  


"I, um, don't know, actually. I saw their eyes, but nothing else," Harry replied. As he said this, his gaze instantly flicked up to stare at Draco's.   
  


"Er, why are you looking at me like that?" Draco asked, uneasily.   
  


Harry shifted. _Those eyes reminded me of you_, he wanted to say. He couldn't do it. Draco would think he was too weird. He sat back against a tree and looked up at the sky.   
  


"No reason..."   
  


Draco sat next to Harry and looked up too. "Beautiful night."   
  


Harry nodded. It really was. The sky was velvety black and dotted with a bunch of scattered, twinkling stars. It felt pleasantly warm outside, as though the sky was a huge blanket that was keeping them snug on earth. The moon wasn't out, so the sky looked even more pure and unreal. The rain had gone and there was a balmy, refreshing breeze that blew lightly through the boys' hair.   
  


"I forgive you," Harry said quietly, after a long pause.   
  


"_You_ forgive _me_? How's that work? And what for, anyway?"   
  


"For our argument earlier. It must be strange to see your enemy acting like a totally different person. I'd probably have done the same thing you did."   
  


Draco didn't say anything. He felt a little uncomfortable.   
  


"Harry, there's something you need to - "   
  


"Don't. Not right now. Don't ruin this," Harry cut him off. "I can tell something's bothering you, because something's bothering me, too. Just leave it for now."   
  


"But - "   
  


Harry reached out a hand and pressed a finger to Draco's lips. Draco's eyes widened in shock and then he looked a little indignant. Harry watched him quietly.   
  


"Fine," Draco said.   
  


Harry felt Draco's lips move against his fingers and it was like a tiny electric shockwave that jolted lightly through his hand and up his arm.   
  


Draco felt it too. _That was weird... why won't he move his finger? Guess I'll have to do it for him._   
  


Draco flicked out his tongue and licked Harry's finger, grinning. Harry watched his finger flash shining jet black scales for a split second, and then he gasped and pulled away.   
  


"What's up?" Draco asked. "Can't handle my tongue?"   
  


Harry stared and scooted a little ways away from Draco. "Uh, I'm fine, it was nothing - "   
  


"I'm just kidding."   
  


"...Right. What time is it, anyway?"   
  


"Um, a little ways after midnight, I think. Why? Going to bed already?"   
  


"No... I think I'll just sleep out here. I don't like the people in my common room, anyhow," Harry yawned. He stretched out on the grass. The ground was tilting up in a hill towards his head, so he didn't need a pillow.   
  


Draco looked a little disgusted. "It's nice out here, Potter, but the ground is also dirty. I don't get you Gryffindors."   
  


Harry turned his head and glared. "Don't you ever call me that. I already told you, I think me being in Gryffindor is a mistake. I don't even think I belong there."   
  


Draco held up his hands in front of him as if to mock back-off. "Fine," he answered.   
  


"So where are you going to sleep? In your warm, clean Slytherin bed?" Harry grinned.   
  


Draco looked almost thoughtful. He was thinking about going back to the common room and having to face Blaise and Pansy - and he didn't want that. He took off his long black robe and gingerly spread it out on the grass next to Harry. He made sure not to put it too close. _I hope I can get my robe clean after this_, he thought, frowning.   
  


"I think I'll stay out here and keep you company, I guess. I have nothing better to do. Imagine, a Slytherin befriending a Gryffin-- " He cut himself off before he could finish the word, remembering what Harry had asked of him.   
  


Harry feigned shock. "Am I that bad to hang out with, or what?"   
  


Draco playfully hit Harry's shoulder and answered, "Yes!"   
  


Harry sat up and hit Draco back, but not hard. "Well, you're horrible, too!"   
  


"But that's different. I know I'm horrible," he replied, grinning.   
  


Harry grinned and started to tickle Draco between his ribs.   
  


"Hahaha - Harry - no, stop - please, get off - _Harry!_ - " Draco gasped, trying to tickle Harry back. He had completely forgotten about what he was troubled about earlier.   
  


The air rung with the sound of their laughter. It was an amazing sight, to see two enemies suddenly become what would seem like best friends to any onlookers. And they wouldn't sleep for another few hours, not until the sun was tinging their world a rosy pink. 


	11. Chapter 10: The Mess in the Great Hall

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   


**-Author Notes:** Sorry it took so long. Been getting really sick recently, and whatnot... hope you enjoy it, anyhow. It was really hard to write, for some reason.   


Also, I've switched the theme from Romance to Angst - seeing as how there isn't much Romance going on yet.   


Again, a big thank you to all of you who review each and every time. You've no idea how happy it makes me to read an inbox full of them. You're all awesome. 3   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


Draco sat up, his head pounding as though he'd been hit by the Hogwarts train. He rubbed the side of his head gingerly and squinted through the sunlight. He wondered what time it was.   
  
  


_Luckily it's Sunday_, he thought.   
  
  


Draco glanced down at the quiet, black-haired boy sleeping next to him. Draco wouldn't tell anyone else, but he had been awake just about all night. He had finally fallen to sleep for a couple hours very early in the morning, but before that he had done nothing.   
  
  


Except watch Harry sleep.   
  
  


Draco sighed to himself and flopped back down on his cloak, which the two had shared all night. _I'm glad he was asleep all that time, because I would have come off as rather creepy_, he thought.   
  
  


He turned to look at the quietly slumbering boy next to him. Dew had gathered on his glasses and hair during the night. When Draco leaned slowly closer, it looked as though Harry's jet-black hair was adorned with dozens of glistening diamonds. He looked like a tranquil king with a crown of shimmery lights.   
  
  


Draco reached forward a hand to touch the mesmerizing droplets, but drew back quickly when he heard a snapping sound behind him. He leapt to his feet and deftly pulled his cloak off the ground, not disturbing Harry's sleep. He grimaced as he tossed the dew-dropped cloak into the lake.   
  
  


_I can always buy a new one._   
  
  


Draco stole one last glance at Harry before he sprinted away towards the castle, away from the sound he had heard. He definitely didn't want anyone catching him out here. It was even worse that he had actually spent the whole night laying next to that... that _Gryffindor_.   
  
  


Would Harry Potter never stop ruining Draco's life?   
  
  


Draco had to write a letter. That filthy boy-who-lived had to be finished, once and for all.   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


When Harry woke up, Draco was gone. All traces of him, even his cloak. He hadn't even bothered to wake Harry up to tell him he was at least leaving. Harry wiped the morning dew off his glasses.   
  
  


He felt completely alone.   
  
  


What would it take to get Draco Malfoy to be his friend?   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


Later that evening, Harry went to his first dinner at the Great Hall. He sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, near the great wooden entrance doors. He sat as far from the Slytherins as possible, and made a point not to glance in Draco's direction. Harry picked thoughtlessly at a mashed potato, but ate a little bit anyway.   
  
  


He sat back in his seat, suddenly not very hungry anymore.   
  
  


Suddenly there was a whooshing noise from overhead, as hundreds of different colored owls came streaming into the Great Hall. There were tawnys, black owls, and even tiny ones that flew in circles and squeaked as they tried to find their owners. The owls seemed to glide effortlessly through the air, as though following paths of golden sunlight.   
  
  


Harry turned back to his food and started arranging lamb chops into a rather evil-looking face that sneered up at him from his plate.   
  
  


A loud screech filled his ears over the noise of the dinner crowd and his head snapped up in surprise. A great eagle owl had swiftly soared towards him and in his efforts to duck, he had managed to get a face full of potato. When he finally managed to clean off his glasses, he glanced up to where the eagle owl had flown, and saw a bunch of Slytherins laughing at him from their table - the owl on Draco's shoulder, eating some of the lamb chops it had stolen from Harry.   
  
  


Harry scowled. Across the room, Draco was smiling at him nonchalantly, almost in an "I know something you don't know" sort of way. Harry's green eyes blazed as he reached for his wand and aimed at his plate of remaining chops.   
  
  


_"Spinccio!"_   
  
  


A couple pieces of the meat lifted into the air until they were level with Harry's livid countenance. His hair rippled in gentle waves across his eyes as he jerked his wand straight forward. The meat flew in a straight line across the Great Hall. Harry twisted his wand at sudden points to keep the food on its path.   
  
  


SPLAT.   
  
  


Draco Malfoy's once clear and pristine face was now smattered with sauce and meat. He had an expression of utter shock painted on his face. A series of other slaps faintly reached Harry's ears as Draco's face was bombarded with more food from Harry's plate. Harry laughed out loud.   
  
  


Draco's eyes angrily flicked upwards and caught Harry's, who was openly grinning while still sending more food at him. Draco's robes were dripping with sauce and his hair was flecked with bits of food. He looked like he had gone through a blender of some sort.   
  
  


Harry and Draco both stood up.   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


_What the bloody hell just happened?!_, he'd have liked to know.   
  
  


Draco was absolutely covered in food. Or, at least he thought he was. He really didn't have that much food on him; he was just so clean all the time, it was completely unheard of for him to know what it was to be filthy.   
  
  


He looked up and saw Harry with his wand outstretched, green eyes glittering mischievously. They both stood suddenly at the same time, Draco pulling his thin black wand out of his spattered robes. He raised it and was about to send food flying back to Potter, when he realized he didn't know what spell was just cast. He stuffed his wand back in his robes and reached a bare hand down to Goyle's plate.   
  
  


The next thing Harry knew, he was hit with a large chunk of cherry pie that was rather like something Dudley would take on. He reached up and pulled the pie off the side of his head and instantly staggered backwards when he was hit with another bit of food, this time straight in the face. He let out an angry growl and reached down to the table, not bothering to clean off his glasses. His fingers were slippery with cherry juice and he couldn't exactly see where he was reaching.   
  
  


"OUCH!"   
  
  


"Merlin, Potter, what the hell are you doing?!"   
  
  


_"His fingers are burning my face!"_   
  
  


Harry was involuntarily clutching someone's cheek - he pulled away and reached downwards, his outstretched hand grabbing what felt like a goblet. He raised it and performed the banishing charm again.   
  
  


Pumpkin juice zoomed across the room and splashed Draco in the face. He sputtered, the liquid stinging his eyes and dripping down the front of his robes.   
  
  


"I'LL GET YOU, POTTER!" he shouted.   
  
  


The rest of the Great Hall suddenly seemed to notice what was going on, and there was a great ruckus of Gryffindors cheering and Slytherins booing.   
  
  


"FOOD FIGHT!" someone bellowed gleefully.   
  
  


All over the hall, people flung fake insults at each other and the Great Hall got louder by the second. Food flew in all directions as students stood up   
  
  


"If only Fred and George were here to see this!" a Gryffindor girl yowled.   
  
  


From across the room, Draco threw an apple that hit Harry square on the temple, and he was knocked out cold.   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


Harry woke up in the infirmary two and a half days later to the sound of someone's voice.   
  
  


"Damn you, Potter."   
  
  


He squinted his eyes open and asked, groggily, "Who is it?"   
  
  


"Who the hell do you think it is?"   
  
  


_Oh wonderful_, Harry thought. _Why can't he just make up his mind on whether he wants to be my friend or not? I know I'm confused about myself, and I know he's confused, too, but that gives him no reason to keep switching back and forth like this._   
  
  


Harry reached out and fumbled for his glasses. His hand grabbed at empty air as he fell, sideways, off his bed. There was a crash and a searing pain in his hip as his side hit the floor. A cold chuckle sounded from a few feet away. Everything was blurry.   
  
  


Groaning, Harry sat up and felt someone put glasses on his face. He blinked and the world came back into focus. A thin blonde boy was leering darkly over him, his pale eyes glinting maliciously in the light.   
  
  


"Draco? What happened?"   
  
  


"You tried to attack Hagrid, and he went Full Metal Jacket on you."   
  
  


"Did I, now?"   
  
  


"No, you arse. You tried to cover me with food in front of the entire school, and I chucked you over the head with an apple."   
  
  


Harry's face was almost smacked, but he reached up a hand and deftly caught Malfoy's. Draco looked stunned for a second, and then roughly pulled away, scowling again.   
  
  


"Didn't think you'd be back up to your usual speed again so soon, Potter. That apple to the head knocked you out for almost three days," he snarled.   
  
  


Harry shrugged. "Oh well, it's not like I really missed anything, Malfoy. I already know these childish spells they're trying to teach us. Oh yes, I saw how you didn't even remember how to do a banishing charm," he added, smirking. "Had to pick up all that dirty food by hand, I saw. You flung it like a monkey flings poo."   
  
  


Draco's face contorted in anger. "I will not be spoken to like that... you... you _Gryffindor_!"   
  
  


This time, it was Harry's turn to see red. "I told you not to call me that!"   
  
  


Harry quickly got to his feet and swayed a little bit, then he reached into his cleansed robes to pull out his wand. He whipped it out and held it in front of Malfoy's face, glaring.   
  
  


"Call me that one more time, and I swear I won't even try to make friends with you anymore."   
  
  


Draco let out a smug laugh. "Ha! That school-wide food fight was you trying to make friends?! I'd hate to see what you do to your enemies!" He realized what he'd said and his eyes widened. His voice took on a quiet tone.   
  
  


"Do you remember what you did to my father, Potter?" he whispered, his voice shaking.   
  
  


Harry furrowed his brow and looked confused. "Er - no - "   
  
  


Draco cut him off sharply. "Do anything like that again to anyone in my family and I swear I'll do more than give you a bloody scar on your forehead."   
  
  


Harry whipped his head around as the door to the infirmary opened. Albus Dumbledore strode in, followed closely by Madam Pomfrey.   
  
  


"Oh no! Albus, I told you those two shouldn't be left alone! How can he rest, sir, if - "   
  
  


Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her. "Harry, Draco, Poppy... calm down." His eyes twinkled and lingered on Harry for a moment. "Please put down your wand, Harry."   
  
  


Harry hesitated, then decided he would get nowhere if he argued. He lowered his wand, eyes still glinting dangerously at Dumbledore.   
  
  


"I've seen far too many violent conflicts between you and other people, Harry," continued the headmaster.   
  
  


_Finally, he's shown for what he really is_, thought Malfoy. _I've waited years for this!_   
  
  


" - however, if you keep it up, I will have to take more drastic measures to ensure our students' safety. That food fight may have seemed fun at the time, and you were the only one who got injured, but I must insist that it does not happen again. If I chance upon one more outbreak of your violent antics, I will have to suspend your wand usage for a while," he finished.   
  
  


Harry's face was hot. He felt rage seeping through his limbs, he wanted to strike Dumbledore for being so unfair - after all, he hadn't injured anybody -   
  
  


"As for you, Mr. Malfoy... I know you were the one who threw the apple at Harry," Dumbledore had turned to say to Draco, whose eyes suddenly widened at his words. "And therefore I must insist upon you to stop the violence as well... or I will have to suspend the use of your left arm."   
  
  


Dumbledore smiled knowingly, then turned and glided soundlessly out of the room, Madam Pomfrey tittering at his heels.   
  
  


Harry turned back to Draco, feeling his body grow cold again. _I can control my anger, I know I can_, he thought. _It's all a matter of locking it up inside._   
  
  


Draco had gone very pale and his eyes were still wide in shock.   
  
  


Harry smirked. "Use your left arm much, Draco?"   
  
  
  
  


***   
  
  
  
  


**-A/N:** Check out a Harry/Draco drawing I did awhile back, just re-write it in your browser:   


_mywebpage.netscape.com /red %20 sheep %20 low / BestEnemies2.jpg_   


Tell me what you think. :) 


	12. Chapter 11: A Rift Between Souls

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   


**-Author Notes:** This one's probably going to be a little boring, because I'm using it to brush up on my description skills. :) 

Someone described my story as "one step forward and two steps back" ... I'm glad somebody noticed! That's how I was trying to make it. Thank you for that review :) 

I know this is a short chapter but I wanted to get it out there because it's so late. And I got 100 reviews! Thank you, guys. :)   
  


***   
  


"Use your left arm much, Draco?"   


Draco's steely eyes narrowed menacingly at Harry, who was looking smugly self-satisfied.   


"What would you know about it?" Draco asked indignantly.   


_That prat Potter_, he thought. _But he can't know about what I've been doing... can he?_   


Draco lifted his eyebrows at Harry in a hard gaze and turned to glide out of the room, his robes fluttering behind him in a nonexistent breeze.   


Harry sighed and flopped back down on his pillow. His head didn't hurt anymore, but he didn't want to go back to class anytime soon. As soon as Madam Pomfrey came back, he'd complain about how badly he hurt all over. He grinned.   


Hopefully that would keep Draco away as well.   
  


***   
  


Draco stalked back to his common room, fuming about that idiot boy, Potter. Rage was taking over his limbs in unhealthy amounts.   


_Why does he make me so damned angry?_, he thought. Stray green sparks shot out of the end of his wand in his madness.   


He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. I just need to ignore him. Inside the hangings of his four-poster bed was the Malfoy's eagle owl. There was a roll of white parchment attached to its leg, and a long, thin package. He took the letter off and unfurled it, his eyes skimming the cursive on the page.   
  


_Dearest Draco, _

We have received your owl. Your father is still very ill, and I don't know if he will ever be the same again. He does show signs of remembering who he was, but I have had to keep him under the Imperius Curse lately to make sure he doesn't leave the Manor again. 

Yes, he tried to leave. He was intent on finding our Dark Lord... it was almost petrifying, the way he spoke so much evil of our master. I felt sure our master would show up then and there to obliterate us all. 

About your question, now. Do you remember when you were very young, and we told you that there was a curse on the Malfoy name? And remember how at certain high-peaked amounts of rage, your skin would begin to burn and blacken? Well, you're exactly right, my dear, in that curse you found at the school library. That is the very same one that has been on our family's name for many many years. 

Since your father is not in his right mind, I can tell you about this curse without being harmed by him. I was supposed to keep quiet all these years, but it's time you finally know. 

The curse originated from my side of the family.   
  


"What?!" Draco asked out loud. "I thought it was Father's... then why did Father hate Potter's dad so much?"   
  


_I know you're a smart boy, Draco. I know you will have figured out that this curse is the reason your father hated James Potter. I'm sorry to tell you that you're wrong. The curse is from my side, and Lucius hated James for a different reason. I can't tell you the whole story, because I don't remember parts of it myself. What I can tell you is that your last name, Malfoy, was mine. Lucius took my surname when we married. _

Furthermore, I'm sure you also know that this curse causes severe hatred between the Malfoys and the Potters. There's more, but I don't feel you should know it quite yet. Please be careful, whatever you do. Stay away from Harry Potter. 

The curse must be stopped, Draco. Remember that. What we have been doing to the Potters all these years is murder. Hopefully we can break enough of them to satisfy the gods' wrath. The problem is, they get rid of us as well. It's a race to see who is finished first. 

Kill him if you have to.   


Narcissa   


P.S., I've enclosed a journal for you to write in, because I sense that you're in for some rough times ahead. Treat it well. And take care of yourself, my darling.   
  


Draco gasped out loud and stared at the parchment. He let his eyes skim over the page several more times, drinking in the same words repeatedly.   


He could understand that the curse needed to end. It had been the entire reason the Malfoys had become so stiff and unforgiving. But surely killing Harry Potter was the Dark Lord's job, and not Draco's...?   


He closed his eyes for a few moments to think about the situation. If he killed Harry Potter, then wouldn't Voldemort want to kill him in return? And if he didn't, what would happen to his family?   


If his mother was worried, then there was definitely something up. Draco needed to really watch out. For the first time in his life, Draco felt threatened. He actually felt protective. He had always been rather protective of his mother, but he had never felt as though he, himself, were in danger.   


_Is this how Potter feels every day?_, he thought.   


Sighing, he reached over to the owl and stroked its feathery head softly. He fed it an owl treat and it nipped his finger affectionately, hooting a little. Then it flew away and up the dormitory's chimney. Draco reached over to where it had been sitting and picked up the slim package it had left. He tore off the plain brown paper it was wrapped in and tossed it aside.   


The journal was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.   


It was jet black and made of something very smooth, almost like wood. But he didn't think it was wood, because there was no grain to it. He gaped and ran his finger down the two polished, silvery snakes that were entwined fluidly on the front, each with a staring emerald green eye.   


_Just like Harry's eyes_, he thought. Then he shook his head as he realized what he had been thinking.   


The two snakes looked as though they were joined somehow, like they were part of a bigger serpent. They were undisturbed but looked devious, as though they could spring to life and strike at any moment.   


He opened the sleek book and felt the razor-thin pages. They were of an ancient off-white, almost tan color and each was almost sheer, but not quite, like pages from a huge religious text. Draco loved these kind of attenuated pages. They were the kind he could sit and thumb through for hours. He always wondered how Muggles managed to make pages this way without magic. It was astonishing, really.   


The pages were old looking, and crackled lightly when he turned them. Some were scuffed or smudged a little. Draco felt peculiar, as though he were reading through someone's diary. But there were no words... it was an odd feeling. He felt a strange chill when he touched certain ones, but brushed each one off as though he were scaring off a fly.   


He had the creepy feeling that someone had owned this journal before he had, because it radiated with an ancient magic. It was obviously very old. However, he decided to follow his mother's wishes and write in it.   


Just once, at least.   


He flipped carefully back to the first page, took a deep breath as though he were sealing his soul away, and wrote,   


_If it must be done, then I'll do it. I'll kill him._   
  


***   
  


The next few weeks went by very quickly. Harry and Draco mostly stayed apart, not even bothering to make the most meaningless eye contact.   


For Harry, especially, life went on in a daze. Even now, if he looked back on it months later, he wouldn't remember half of what happened. It was just all so... boring. He knew all the spells being taught. He was through with trying to make friends. He had been shunned by the whole of Gryffindor house for consorting with the top Slytherin. They all thought it was such a waste to see that Draco hadn't been seriously injured, and on top of that, Colin had spent a few days in the hospital wing due to his broken jaw. Hermione wouldn't talk to him unless she had to, and it was obvious she had pressured Ron to do the same.   


And he had been booted off the Gryffindor Quidditch team for repeated harrassment to their female players. Well, they called it harrassment... Harry preferred to call it "over-flirting" to anyone who would listen to his side of the story. He felt the matter was especially unfair because Harry had only gone to one practice. One miserable practice where he realized he had been a very good Quidditch player - that is, until he had lost his memory. It was the only thing he felt he knew how to do. And then he had gotten carried away in his enthusiasm for the sport and had hit on the girls a bit too much, and he'd been kicked off.   


"We don't tolerate that kind of sexism here!" they had said.   


"You call yourselves Gryffindors! Everyone shoving me away just for saving Malfoy's slimy little life! Not one of you belong here, either. None of deserve the Gryffindor title of bravery. None of you are heroes. None of you sticky little buggers would have given your life for - " he had shouted back. And then he had stopped himself before he could say what he thought was coming.   


Luckily, no one had asked any questions. Not one at all.   


Usually Harry just stayed in the back of the classroom, not listening to his lessons; he just sat there languidly, conjuring various tiny magical items to use for his own amusement or to play tricks on people. He was restless. He had to do something. Everything nowadays caused his mouth to droop at the corners.   


_Life is a big joke_, he thought to himself as he absent-mindedly ran a finger down his smooth, thin wand. _It's all a game. A big waste of a stupid, riskless game that everyone wants to win, but not me. I don't care about winning things anymore. There's nothing I want to win. Nothing here is good enough for me._   


Harry had furthermore resorted to a nasty little habit of sometimes hexing himself just to get sent to the hospital wing to miss classes. What he wished he could make perfectly clear to those watching was that he wasn't doing it because he had no friends.   


_I don't care about friends._   


He was doing it for a much more unhealthy reason. He had fallen into a slump he couldn't get out of. Everything in his life had gone askew, and he wasn't sure if he could take it anymore. On top of all that, he had recently learned from various wandering students or ghosts that he was supposed to defeat the Dark Lord. As if he really wanted to do that, right? As if it was what he'd been planning all along since he was born? He preferred to let people live their own lives, and not interfere in them. Defeating Lord Voldemort would definitely be interference... right?   


The only reason Harry hadn't ended his term at Hogwarts was because he wanted to show them all. He was going to plan something terrible for them to witness, something none of them would ever forget. And then who would laugh at him, or mock him, or jeer at him through the hallways?   


He was especially looking forward to showing that bratty silver-blond Slytherin bitch how things were done.   


The only problem was, the worst was yet to come. 


	13. Chapter 12: How Can I Kill You?

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)   
  


**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc.   
  


**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy   
  


**-Author Notes:** ...Wow, sorry this one took so long. I've been out of town for a bit, and was going through a bad case of writer's block. I've also been rushed to the doctor to get needles stuck in me on account of a health problem. Sorry again! I hope this chapter can make up for my absence, even though there's no slash yet... I'm trying my best to make this very agonizing for Harry and Draco.   


Good news: SPRING BREAK IS HERE! My birthday is the 23rd of March! Wish me happy birthday you guys! :)   
  
  


***   
  
  


_He might be cute...   
  
_

Maybe.   
  


If he weren't suddenly my enemy.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Draco sighed and stopped ogling his journal. He'd been staring at it for long periods of time each night, though he hadn't written anything in it since the day he'd received it from his mother. Sure, he'd felt the compelling urge to write a couple of times a day, but he wasn't entirely sure he could trust the sleek book. A familiar wizarding saying popped into his head.   
  


_Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain._   
  


Though why that would apply to Draco, he had no idea. Dark wizards like himself weren't accustomed to worrying about whether their minds would be harmed, as long as they reaped the profit. Many a Dark wizard had lost their sanity or, more often, their bodies and parts, due to a fail to control a magical object.   
  


Lord Voldemort was just one example of this unfortunate situation, though the rest of the wizarding word didn't know it.   
  


Draco's feelings were that he was almost hypnotized by the journal; the fact was, his feelings were much closer to the truth than he could know. He traced a long, thin finger down the spine of the book and shivered unpleasantly. A fluttering started in his chest.   
  


There was a muted clap of thunder and a dull, almost ethereal flash of lightning that was illuminated, bottle-green, through the water that surrounded the Slytherin dormitories. The windowpanes rattled violently as the water surged with the after-effects of the lightning. Draco's hackles rose as he heard a scuttling noise in the dark fireplace.   
  


A great eagle owl soared out of the dusty stone fireplace. Where it should have been flecked by ash, it shone almost pristinely, its feathers completely unruffled. After all, the Malfoys always did have a knack for being clean...   
  


Draco held his white hand out to the bird, letting it nip his finger in what it obviously thought was an affectionate way. Draco drew his arm back, closing his lips around the nip-mark, which had cut loose a few drops of blood. He held out his other hand and took the letter from the owl's beak, and opened it. The owl hooted harshly and flew back through the fireplace in an annoyed manner.   
  
  


_Dearest Draco,   
_

How are you liking the journal? You don't like it very much, do you? Of course, I'm just judging by the fact that you're not writing in it at all.   


I'd feel offended if you weren't my son. It's from my side of the family, a gift that has been passed to... well, certain "privileged" offspring.   


I do hope you're not getting soft on me.   
  


Narcissa   
  
  


Draco looked at the black journal with teeming disgust. So his mother had been spying on him? How, he had no idea.   
  


_The Blacks have always been the crafty ones_, he thought, instantly remembering Sirius' escape from Azkaban. _Where is he now? No matter. The Malfoys have always been cold, even to their loved ones. I can certainly carry on the tradition._   
  


He flipped open the journal to the second page, dipped a quill in a spare inkwell, and wrote to whoever was spying on him this time.   
  


_Nice try, Mother._   
  


He closed the book and tucked it away under his mattress.   
  
  


***   
  
  


Harry Potter was late to his next Potions class. He had been thinking, in the Common Room, about how he'd like to be on the blond Slytherin's side... or at least, appear to be. The look on that prince's face would only make his plan sweeter.   
  


_But first_, he thought and smiled. _I need to get some revenge._   
  


Harry strolled in about 10 minutes after he was supposed to, much to the dismay of the rest of the Gryffindors.   
  


"Ten points from Gryffindor, thanks to you, Potter," Severus Snape drawled. "One point for each minute you were absent."   
  


"No problem, Professor. Glad to help," Harry replied. Snape almost smiled.   
  


Harry took his seat and was instantly chided by Hermione. "I can't believe you, Harry! We finally won a Quidditch match without you and you take away some of our hard-earned points! You should be asham - "   
  


"Shut it, Granger," Harry said loudly, cutting her off. "I'm sure you don't want me to cost you any more, am I right? Of course, I could earn them all back in an instant; but that's only if I wanted to in the first place..."   
  


She turned an indignant red and sputtered, "I'll never understand your - "   
  


"Five more points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger."   
  


"But, Professor - Harry was - "   
  


"I am quite sure it was your shrill voice I heard, and not Potter's. After all, it was your lips that were moving. Am I expected to believe that Potter is such a good ventriloquist that he can take control of your body? Hmm? Do not talk back to me, Granger. Three more points from Gryffindor for your insolence."   
  


The Gryffindors would have roared in frustration had it been any other teacher than Snape. Instead, they shot menacingly ugly looks towards the back of the classroom where Harry sat. Hermione, next to him, had sputtered herself into angry tears.   
  


"If you can't be quiet during the lesson, Miss Granger, please leave! Do not disrupt my lesson any further!" Snape shot at her.   
  


She hastily gathered her things in the silence of the classroom and stormed out in a rage, her ears pink. The only noise was the clacking sound of her shoes on the stone floor.   
  


The Gryffindors looked murderous, especially Ron, who had a look of utter contempt plastered on his freckly face. They all shot dagger-tipped stares towards Harry, who sat in calm, smugly returning them with a complacent and almost contented visage. The Slytherins were almost looking on him with adoration.   
  


At last, they had all turned around but Draco, who had his eyes narrowed at Harry, his lip curling.   
  


_You're so easy to predict, Prince_, Harry thought, arching his eyebrows, never dropping the first eye contact the two had had in weeks.   
  


_Argh, Potter, pick a personality and stick with it already_, thought Draco with contempt. To be honest, he was a little amused. Unfortunately he accidently let it show by smiling a little. He knew he'd screwed up when he saw Harry's eyes light up bright green.   
  


Harry knew he'd won.   
  


_How am I supposed to kill you when you look so... alive?_, thought Draco. He turned away silently.   
  


Harry saw it for only a small instant, the look of quiet sadness on Draco's face as he turned away from him. Harry was suddenly a very confused Boy Who Lived.   
  
  


***   
  
  


"I can't believe him! Damn it - his nerve!" Hermione spat.   
  


"Chill, 'Mione. Don't let him get to you... He's just being a bastard 'cause he got kicked off Quidditch, is all," Ron consoled.   
  


She blinked away the furious tears that had threatened to start up again. Strong arms wrapped around her and she lowered her head to Ron's shoulder. Her arms snaked up around his back and they held each other tightly, Hermione shaking in vexation. She closed her eyes tightly and a glistening tear squeezed out of her lids and slid down her cheek.   
  


"I don't think... I don't think Harry is in his right mind, Ron..."   
  


Ron kissed her lightly on the top of the head. "I don't know what he's playing at, I really don't."   
  


Hermione pulled away and wiped her eye before Ron could see it.   
  


"Come on, let's go to dinner."   
  
  


***   
  
  


"Attention, please. May I have everyone's attention?"   
  


The Great Hall's gab of noise slowly ebbed to a halt, and people turned to look at their headmaster.   
  


"Thank you. I have an important announcement to make. The Halloween feast is a mere week away, and I have decided to introduce something new this year. Several students have expressed an interest in the 'hip' American wizarding schools - "   
  


Pansy Parkinson, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and several other girls in the Hall giggled audibly.   
  


"This year, we will introduce a new tradition of Hogwarts King and Queen. There will be one King and one Queen, and students will vote by dropping a slip of paper into a box that is being set up in each Common Room, as I speak. You may vote for anyone you like - however, there is only one requirement - in order to win, you must be a fifth, sixth, or seventh year student."   
  


There was suddenly an outburst of both amused and angry noises in the Great Hall at the same time.   
  


"Oh, yes, one more thing - you may only vote once. Enjoy dinner!" Dumbledore finished.   
  


There was a little scattered applause coming from the giggling girls and the noise returned to the Great Hall. Just then, Harry walked in, and, hearing the light applause, wondered what he had missed. He took a seat close to the door and the few Gryffindors around him scowled and scooted away. They didn't bother being discreet.   
  


Harry shrugged indifferently. _It's probably nothing I'd care about, anyway._ He picked up his fork and speared a sausage on the end of it. He pulled a wizard firecracker out of his pocket and stuck it in the bottom end of the meat when no one was looking. He tapped his wand on the firecracker and the sausage flew into the air.   
  


BOOM.   
  


There was a shower of green and silver sparks in the open cavity of the Great Hall. The Slytherins cheered and the Gryffindors booed. Harry shrank back into his warm dinner, laughing quietly to himself in the midst of chaos.   
  


Severus Snape, who had listened to Dumbledore's speech earlier (and found it rather repulsive) found himself chuckling inwardly at this new amusement in the Great Hall. He knew exactly who had been setting off the antics in the Hall this year, but he didn't want to spoil the fun. No, no, he preferred to stay neutral.   
  


"Observe," announced Draco Malfoy with a demonstrative flick of his hand towards the head table. "Albus Dumbledore is in his usual position when there is utter chaos at Hogwarts and the students need him - sitting on his arse."   
  


The Slytherin table erupted into laughter and Draco took a smooth bow.   
  


"So, which one of you wankers set that thing off?" he asked the table with an arch of his brow.   
  


"I - er, we assumed _you_ did it, Draco," said Pansy sweetly, batting her lashes.   
  


Draco glanced around the Great Hall and caught a pair of bright green eyes grinning at him from the Gryffindor table. He swallowed and turned back to Pansy.   
  


"No, it wasn't me. And fine, you guys don't have to tell me who it was. I have an idea of who, anyway. What I do want to know is what the hell Dumbledore thinks he's playing at, making games of royalty." Everyone knew the Malfoys considered themselves highest class.   
  


Pansy spoke up again and explained that it was her, along with a few other girls, who suggested the idea. "I don't think it's such a bad idea," she scoffed.   
  


"Pfft, it figures it was _you_, Pansy. Sounds like a fluffy girl thing. I reckon I'll run for king, anyhow. Everyone knows I'm the sexiest boy in this castle," Draco retorted slyly.   
  


Pansy blushed. Blaise narrowed his eyes dangerously at Draco and said, "Fine, I'll run too."   
  


"You'll never beat this," Draco smirked.   
  


He touched Pansy's face softly and then got up from the table, heading for the door. On his way out, he grabbed a piece of spare parchment that was lying on a nearby table, and then headed for the Gryffindors. He kneeled behind Harry and spread the parchment across the black-haired boy's back. Harry spun partway around and saw Draco, who grinned up at him. Draco took a quill out of his robes and sucked on the tip a little, letting his tongue linger after his mouth was gone. The two boys were so close Draco could tell how much Harry's heart rate sped up at that moment. Draco took his time in scrawling letters on the parchment. Harry's spine tingled as he felt the tip of the quill through the paper and his robes, as he felt the soft motions of the writing on his back. The feeling was so light it was almost unbearable, and as Harry closed his eyes, he felt the paper leave his body. He heard it being folded up and dropped into his lap from behind.   
  


Harry opened his eyes and unfolded the note. A single word was scratched on it in emerald Slytherin ink.   
  


_Nice._   
  


Harry looked up and blinked through the showers of green sparks that were still being emitted from the firework.   
  


Draco smirked and was gone. 


	14. Chapter 13: Hail the King and Queen

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :) 

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Language, etc. 

**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy ...eventually 

**-Author Notes:** Damn, I just realised I haven't updated for months! I've been getting emails and IMs and comments on my site from people who want me to update... I'm sorry to put you guys through this. I've been super busy with health problems, but I'll try to crank a chapter out for you. 

Keep in mind I was angry while writing. I had just found out the girl I was kind of with likes someone else, so... yeah. I think it shows in some parts. Have fun reading, everyone. 

"Why, oh why," muttered Pansy Parkinson under her breath. 

"I can't believe it either," said Blaise. "Potter ruins everything! He's not even a Slytherin student, for Merlin's sake!" 

"And we can never get close enough to hurt him," hissed Pansy. "What can we do? He's starting to keep Draco away from us. Like he's trying to make Draco his friend or something. It's almost sickening..." 

She moved closer to Blaise and snuggled up next to him on the couch, pinning him to the armrest. His eyes widened and the two stared at each other. A wry smile played on the corners of Blaise's lips. 

"Wh--what is it?" whispered Pansy, looking excited. 

"I've got the perfect idea..." Blaise grinned as Pansy leaned in for a kiss. 

Meanwhile, Harry sat rocking on his bed in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. He was staring at the piece of paper still clutched in his white-knuckled hand. 

_This bloke is playing games with me!_

He imagined Draco's smirk in his mind. The smirk that would be forever emblazoned there. The smirk which would cost Harry his dignity. 

_I'm supposed to be the one pulling the strings._

Harry shut his eyes and ripped the note in half. Electricity crackled around him in waves. 

"_Oh_...," Draco moaned. 

The girl closed her green eyes and bent her head to his to kiss him harder. "A love like ours could never die...," she whispered into his mouth. 

"No," mouthed Draco. He pushed his body into the girl's, and they rocked together in unison. It was sweet for each of them. Too sweet. The girl kissed his neck slowly, and her black hair brushed lightly over his face. 

The image started fading out of Draco's mind. 

"No... no, don't leave me... I love you," muttered Draco in his sleep. The feather-soft hair was still brushing over his face. It felt like the touch of an angel. 

"Oh really?" The shrill voice snapped Draco out of his dream. 

"What did you hear?" asked Draco finally. 

"Oh... pretty much everything," replied Pansy. She was waving a feather in his face and brushing it against his lips. "I had no idea you felt that way about me, Draco..." She smiled in a coy way and pushed her way up to sit on his hips. 

"A little... happy, aren't we?" she whispered into his ear in a flirtatious manner. She rubbed against the crotch of his pants, which had been protruding a little throughout his dream. 

"Get the fuck off," Draco growled, and pushed her roughly off of him. She landed with a thunk on the floor. "I hope it was your head that hit the ground," he added for good measure. 

She stood up in a huff, her face blushed red. "Well, fine. I thought you'd just want to know that Blaise and I would be happy to, uh... take you back into the group. If you wanted. But if you don't..." 

"No, no. I'll come back. You two had better act nicely around me, though. I'm still the prince, you know," Draco replied in a self-righteous manner, trying to force his erection to ebb away. 

Pansy brushed herself off. "Fine," she said quickly, looking away. "I'll be with Blaise, then." 

She left the dorm, and Draco was once again alone. He laid his head back on his pillow and let out a deep breath. His face flushed at the thought of the girl in his dream. Who was she? 

"It's brilliant," said Pansy in Blaise's ear. "It can't go wrong. We just have to manipulate the entire school, that's what." 

"Mmm...," Blaise nuzzled his face into her neck. "I'll let you handle that. You manipulate Draco so well..." 

Pansy giggled. She said, "Women have things _so_ much easier," and was promptly slapped in the face. It wasn't hard, but it was enough to make her skin sting. She murmured something and was then pinned to the couch by Blaise's hard body. 

"Unh, what are you doing?" she asked. 

"Why should Draco always get you and not me?!" demanded the angry boy. He pressed his mouth over hers in a bruising way and muffled her cries. Her wrists went limp in his hands. She struggled, but got nowhere against Blaise's heavier body, on top of hers. 

"Please... help me," she whimpered at Draco, who was leaning against the doorway, watching. His arms were crossed and he had a mean glint in his eyes. 

"And... if I don't?" he replied, letting the question hang in the air. He pushed himself off the doorway and strode towards the two. He leaned his face close to Pansy, who was looking at him in a pleading manner. 

"This is called revenge. Get used to it," he spat. 

Then he left the common room. 

A week later, the students of Hogwarts were done voting for the King and Queen titles. Several people had obviously voted for themselves, like Draco had; others hadn't even given the contest any thought, like Harry. And of course there were the couples who voted for each other. Ron and Hermione had voted for each other in the spirit of things, but didn't expect each other to win anything. They were happy just being together. 

However, Blaise and Pansy had gotten to the rest of the school. They had at least gotten to all the Slytherins, and even most of the Gryffindors because they had been so mad. Most of the Hufflepuffs decided to be loyal to their own house and vote for fellow Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws were mysterious with their votes; Pansy had tried to talk to some of them, but hadn't gotten any clear replies. 

The students slowly began piling into the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. They were not surprised to find that it had been decked out in the usual orange and black, with floating candles and pumpkins. What they were surprised about, however, was the enormous blank area that had been set up between the teachers' table and the students' tables. 

Only the half-bloods and those had been around two years ago knew what this was for. 

"Oh... Ron! I think we're going to have another dance!" squealed Hermione, clutching his arm. "How exciting!" 

"Yes, how exciting," mumbled Ron, who was looking a bit disturbed. "But I'm not wearing those awful dress robes again." 

Hermione squeaked again and pecked him on the cheek. 

Harry, who was a couple of feet away, grimaced. _Oh, gross. They aren't worthy._ He stepped away from them more, and separated himself from the huge group of students. They gladly let him go be alone next to a wall; some openly made faces at him. 

Finally, Dumbledore made his way to his podium and a few stray candles flickered on. He cleared his throat and motioned for the students to sit down at their respective tables. They hesitantly sat down, waiting for him to give his holiday speech. 

"I'm not going to give a speech this year," he said. 

The Great Hall was absolutely quiet. Students shot funny looks at each other, wondering what was going on. 

"Instead," Dumbledore went on, "I'll let the House Head of the winners come up here to announce the Hogwarts King and Queen titles. I know that is what you all want to hear," he finished, smiling. "Severus..." 

Severus Snape rose to meet Dumbledore's right, and all the Slytherins whooped and cheered. Snape smirked back at them and motioned for them to be settle down. He looked very smug. 

"And... Minerva," Dumbledore said. There was an audible sigh from both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. McGonagall rose to meet Dumbledore's left and she fidgeted a little with her hands. The Gryffindors were all quiet. Both the Gryffindors and the Slytherins looked shrewdly pleased with themselves. 

Dumbledore handed them each a slip of parchment. Snape opened his first, and gave a cunning smile as he called out, "The King is none other than... Draco Malfoy!" 

Draco stood up, feeling rather pleased with himself. While the Slytherins cheered, he strode confidently up to the platform and stood next to his Head of House. He smirked at the audience just as Snape had done. 

_I knew it, he thought. I had better see some more respect now._

McGonagall opened her crinkled piece of parchment. She read the two words and her hands shook. "Oh!" she let out. She dropped the parchment and turned to Dumbledore. She whispered something in his ear while the students exchanged confused expressions. 

"What's going on?" someone asked. 

"Why can't they just read it already?" muttered a Ravenclaw. 

McGonagall turned away from Dumbledore and faced the students again. She looked highly disturbed. 

"I... don't know what happened. Headmaster Dumbledore informs me that this vote was not cheated, and is apparently accurate. I don't know if this is a joke, but it is nevertheless the students' vote. Your Hogwarts Queen is Harry Potter," she announced. 

Next, there was a synonymous gasp that echoed around the Great Hall. Several girls stood up in indignation. Students all over the Hall broke out in excited chatter. Most of the Gryffindors and all of the Slytherins were laughing. 

McGonagall sat down in her seat and covered her eyes with a shaky hand. Snape smiled a little and took his own seat. Consequently, many of the students stood up to argue quite loudly. 

"What's going on?!" one of the girls exclaimed. 

"I don't know, but this isn't fair!" replied another angry girl. 

"Does this mean Potter is gay?" asked someone. 

"What do you mean? Does this mean _both_ of them are gay?!" 

"No, is Potter really a _girl_?!" 

Harry shrank back into his seat. He felt his face flush red. He had no idea what was going on, but he had to get out of here. He tried to make his small frame even smaller, to try to squish his way through the crowd and out of the Great Hall. 

Meanwhile, Draco was standing in front of the school with a disgusted look on his face. _Who the bloody hell did this? Whose sick idea of a joke is this?_

Someone grabbed Harry's shoulder. 

"Go on, Harry,"said one of his fellow Gryffindors. "Go on, you're the Queen!" 

Several more Gryffindors turned to look at him in a deranged rage. They looked as if they absolutely loathed him, like he was a dog that had tracked in something smelly on the carpet and was about to get punished in a very evil way. 

"Yeah, go ahead, Harry!" 

"Go up there and be with your _King_!" 

"You're always hanging out with those bloody Slytherins anyway!" 

Rough hands grasped at Harry everywhere. He had no place to run, and his breath was coming in short gasps. 

"No - please - let me go - " he stammered as a flood of students forced him up to the front. He winced as a hand jabbed his middle. Suddenly he was let go. 

In front of him stood a very angered-looking Draco Malfoy. 

"Did you plan this?" Draco asked viciously. 

"Er, no - " replied Harry, fixing his glasses. "I don't know what's going on - " 

Draco turned to the audience, most of whom were laughing and jeering at the two boys. He turned back to Harry and stared at him in shock. 

Harry felt a bit uncomfortable. He stood in front of Draco, waiting to be socked in the face. He looked at the ground. 

"Hey, Harry," said Draco quietly so that no one else could hear. 

"Go ahead... hit me - I know you want to - " 

"No. That's not what I want," Draco cut him off and moved closer. 

Harry looked up nervously. "Then, what is it you want? I just want to leave. I'm not feeling so good - " 

"That can wait. Let's get them all back," replied Draco. "I know someone out there did this as a joke." 

"But - how? I'm pretty sure we'd get expelled if we tried to bust a cap in their arse - " 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Oh, sorry - Muggle term - " 

"If you're not going to do this, then I will." 

Harry looked up into Draco's crystalline eyes. Draco was dangerously close. 

Just then, a roar erupted through the Great Hall as Draco took Harry's chin and pulled him close for the most direct and unforeseen tongue kiss he had ever had. 


	15. Chapter 14: The Kiss

**-Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, I've just taken them away from Hogwarts for a bit, so I can torture and manipulate them. :)

**-Summary:** Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death - he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned. Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy love, Blood play, etc.

**-Pairings:** Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Hermione/Ron

**-Author Notes:** Goddamn it's been a long time. I'm sorry. BUT HERE IT IS!!! The most sexual chapter ever. And the most bloody. Have fun. ;)

Forgive me for taking so long, please? :x

Harry had never felt more confused in his life.

What was Draco thinking?

Harry let out a muffled noise into Draco's slightly opened mouth. Draco's tongue was slick and slithering like a snake in circles around Harry's own tongue. Harry's eyes had been shocked at first, but were now slowly drooping closed, and the noise in the Great Hall was deafening.

Harry was just getting the hang of kissing Draco back, when the blond slowly pulled away. Harry's lips followed Draco's for an inch or so, his eyes fluttered open, and he gazed into Draco's silver-blue ones. The sounds in the Great Hall came flooding back to him in a rush, and his face instantly heated as he realised what he had just done in front of all of Hogwarts.

Harry took a step back and fixed his glasses, not sure of what he should be feeling. He licked his lips slowly and glanced back up at Draco, who was smirking.

The look burnt shivers into Harry's skin.

Draco pulled away from Harry slowly, and smiled into his confused face. _Poor Harry_, he thought to himself. He could tell it had been Harry's first kiss with a boy... and he could tell that deep down, Harry liked it. The black-haired boy had clearly attempted to press his own lips back into Draco's towards the end, albeit a little awkwardly.

Draco's darkened eyes closely followed Harry, who took a step back and tried to occupy his flustered self. Draco's hungry eyes grazed from Harry's own downcast eyes, over his flushed cheeks, and to his reddened and pouting lips, which looked as though they had been stained with a rich red wine.

The sounds of the Great Hall drove Draco crazy. The perfectly innocent look on Harry's face drove Draco insane. The rush of stealing the boy-who-lived's lips drove Draco wild inside. He couldn't contain himself -

But before Draco could lean forward, Harry had already reached up and grabbed Draco's silver and green tie, pulling him in quickly. Their heated breath came at the same time in a gasp, in the split-second before their lips met once more.

The Great Hall had erupted, and if anyone was standing outside listening, they might have thought they were about to witness a small riot.

"Holy shit! They _are_ gay!"

"Oh Merlin, that is so hot..."

"Ugh, gross! How can they do that in a public place?!"

The Great Hall echoed with just about every comment imaginable. No one could believe what was happening before their very eyes. No one would have ever guessed they'd witness the two Princes of the school actually kissing each other. And none of the girls had quite imagined that they would find it so... magnetising. It was physically hard for some of them to look away.

Pansy turned to Blaise with wide eyes.

"Can you believe it??" she gasped.

"No... no... this wasn't supposed to happen," Blaise muttered under his breath. He was barely audible because of all the noise and clamor already brewing in the Hall. "They were supposed to look like the biggest idiots in the world."

Pansy's grip tightened on Blaise's arm. Nearly everyone in the Hall had gotten to their feet by now. The Slytherins and Gryffindors were looking aghast, as if they had all seen Lord Voldemort suddenly appear.

"This can't be happening...," Blaise was still muttering. "No, we were supposed to win. They weren't supposed to get the better of our plan..."

And when the two boys kissed for the second time, those who had been in on the joke threw their caps down in indignation. No one could believe that the plan had completely backfired.

"Damn that Draco Malfoy," Blaise hissed through his teeth.

At the Head Table, the teachers were deathly silent. No comments came from anyone. It was almost as if someone had cast a silencing spell on them all. And yet... no one had. Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall glanced at each other - Snape with a knowing look in his eyes, and McGonagall's mouth hanging slightly open in surprise.

No one saw Dumbledore's head give a tiny, almost unnoticeable nod. And no one saw his bright blue eyes twinkle.

Harry couldn't breathe. He finally pulled away, his mouth moist and open, and his chest heaving. Draco's eyelids were heavy and half-closed in bliss, and he rubbed his cheek against Harry's. The two boys resembled cats aching to be touched; they didn't quite know what they were doing as their jawlines grazed firmly against each other, each one's breath echoing in the other's ear.

Harry had never been this close to anyone before. In a fit of restlessness, he shakily ran his fingers up and down Draco's chest, causing the other boy to groan quietly and arch his body closer. Draco's body was heavily leaning into Harry, and his hot breath seared into Harry's neck.

Neither one of them could have had the mental capacity at that moment to care what anyone else thought of them - and they wouldn't have noticed anyone but themselves anyway.

Much later that night, Harry lay on his back, awake in bed. He gingerly touched his lips with a finger - they were still a tad bit swollen, and tender to the touch. He had never kissed anyone that hard before. He couldn't even remember kissing anyone in his entire life.

The memories of that kiss flashed through Harry's mind in a messy jumble of senses. He couldn't stop the onslaught of images that barraged his mind. His brain was a heavy mush of amorous gray eyes, that dark look that burned through his own, and lips whose lines fit perfectly into Harry's own like a puzzle piece. It had felt so right, Harry didn't even bother to question the fact that he was apparently into boys.

Harry gasped and his eyes flew open. He realised that he had been rubbing his pants rather hard, and his hips seemed glued to his rigid palm. He squirmed and his cheeks flushed, even though he knew no one could be watching him. They were all asleep.

Harry's eyelids dropped closed again and his breath heaved shallowly. His hand pressed down harder through his pajamas. He imagined silver-blond hair and red lips to match his own...

Thick blood poured slickly through Draco's fingers. The dark color sharply contrasted with his pale skin. He couldn't tell where the blood was coming from. Was it coming from himself? Or was it coming from her? He just didn't know. The confusion he felt overpowered his senses.

Draco fell to his knees weakly. In his effort to stay balanced, his hand shot out to the ground in front of him and leaned forward. His palms slipped across a sticky puddle of dark blood, smearing it. His fingers went rigid and he gasped for breath.

White light engulfed him. It was the only thing whiter than his hair. A piercing shriek cut through the air - Draco didn't know if it was coming from her, or his own opened mouth -

As soon as Draco tried to stand again, he promptly crumbled to the ground. His world went black.

"N-no...," Draco moaned. "Not this, anything but this, please let me go - "

Draco shook himself awake and tried to free himself of his captor. His arms and legs were trapped. He frantically flexed his muscles, but ended up crashing to the ground next to his bed. The blankets were wrapped tightly around him, and he couldn't breathe. He shot an arm out and the tip of his thin wand cut through the sheet. He pulled the tear open and rolled out of the blanket, finally able to catch his breath.

_What a strange dream_, he thought.

He reached a hand up to run through his disheveled hair. Draco felt a wetness on his hand and was disgusted with himself - Malfoys never sweat, even when they have nightmares.

_Wait... no - it couldn't be -_

Horrified, he slowly pulled his hand down level with his eyes.

His fingers were drenched in blood.

"Could you believe they were actually... _kissing_?"

It was a little after midnight and just about the whole castle was awake. The students had recently come back to the dormitories after the rest of the night's Halloween festivities. The rest of the evening had been minimal in excitement in comparison to Harry and Draco's moment together alone on the dance floor.

No one quite knew where the two had gone. Everyone assumed they had left to be alone somewhere a little more private. Several (or many) students would have attempted to follow them, had they known when exactly the boys had left. But they might not have even departed together. They sort of just... disappeared, sometime through the course of the night.

In reality, Draco and Harry had not left together at all. Of course, each one had considered it, but a few seconds later had decided they didn't want to risk being together again. Neither one of them they would be able to keep their hands off the other... and both of them knew that if they did, there would be an awkward silence instead.

Neither seemed willing to risk anything at that point.

Hermione and Ginny were in the common room, cozy in their pajamas in front of the fire. Several other Gryffindors had taken the Halloween party to the house common room to continue, once all the students had been forced out of the Great Hall for the night. No one seemed able to calm down, and it was now a pajama party.

"This is a secret, but I've never seen Harry so attractive as when he was kissing Draco...," Ginny gushed. Her face was turning pink.

Hermione made a face of mock disgust.

Ginny playfully pushed her shoulder. "You know you liked it."

Hermione grinned. "Sure, I've never really thought of either of them as attractive," she lied. She had a teensy crush on Draco, and she'd always felt as though Harry's green eyes were striking into her, but the feeling had intensified into a rush a few hours earlier. "They weren't that bad."

Ron was sitting a few chairs away and could overhear every word they said. He couldn't understand what was so hot about two boys kissing. _I've seen Fred and George plenty of ti..._, he thought, and then stopped himself suddenly before he could think any further.

Giggling erupted from the couch the two girls were sitting on. Ginny was cracking up at something that obviously Hermione had said.

Ron shook his head. Just about everyone seemed to be talking about the new "couple", and it was beginning to get on his nerves.

The thing was, no one really knew if they were a couple or not.

The minute Draco Malfoy crumpled to the floor in a dead faint, Harry Potter awoke without warning in the darkness.

His body was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. He felt chilled to the bone, as if he'd just gone swimming in the lake.

"_L-Lumos..._," he whispered, holding up his wand. The light streamed steadily over his body and he scrambled for his glasses.

Harry gave a startled gasp as his bare chest and arms slowly came to focus... the sweat was glistening in tiny ruby droplets... it was as though his skin had been pinpricked by a thousand needles.

Harry's wand clattered to the floor, and he was plunged into the darkness it left behind.

--------

**A/N:** Sorry about the cliffie! I meant to stop it a few pages ago, but I couldn't stop. I apologise again for taking so long! What do you guys think of this one?


	16. Chapter 15: The Dawn

**_Chapter Fifteen: The Dawn_**

**-Author Notes:** My explanation for this will not suffice. I was very sick when I wrote this fic. I never explained why it would sometimes take ages to update.

I had cancer. I beat it, and I've been ok ever since. But at my lowest point, I let this story go. Years later, I I decided I should write an ending for it, and here it is. If you don't want to count this as an ending, and would rather leave the previous chapter as a cliffhanger, feel free. (Trust me, I understand completely. I am fond of both endings.)

I'm sorry … I don't know if anyone still reads this. This story started out as a dream, and grew into a nice way to leave the world behind for a few hours while writing. Thank you all for listening and writing your critiques. I have thought of you fondly. J

It had been years since Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter had left Hogwarts. So long, it had felt like a lifetime. They had built their home; their days as schoolboys together were now faraway memories in their minds, bittersweet.

The night that they had fainted together, yet apart, remained a vivid memory for them both. Neither could fully piece together what had happened that terrible night. Although they had left the Great Hall and headed in their own separate directions, it had been obvious to them afterwards that it was the moment that they realized they were to be connected for all time. It was the moment that the curse crested and then broke.

It was just after midnight. Once Harry had awoken, he had rushed out to find Draco. He hadn't been out for very long, for his skin was still moist with blood droplets – they hadn't had time yet to dry. He had no idea what was happening, he was simply scared.

Harry shed his robe and loosened his familiar red-and-gold tie. Blood dripped into his eye and he blinked furiously at the sting – or was it sweat? He couldn't be sure. His wand was slippery with it, whatever it was.

The halls and corridors rushed past him as he ran, blindly, towards where he knew Draco would be. He could already see him vividly in his mind, sprawled out on the floor. Harry couldn't run fast enough.

Rolling over in bed, Harry's arm instinctively wrapped around Draco's waist. Draco's body, slightly smaller and less muscular than Harry's, was so familiar, so comfortable. They had gotten to know each other's bodies over the years in ways they had never thought imaginable. Outside, birds chirped in the early morning. The sky was a dark blue, not quite light yet. Harry wasn't quite awake and he felt the desire to doze lazily next to Draco, who was still deep in sleep.

As Harry turned a corner, he could tell that the blond Slytherin boy was nearby, and in danger. He burst through a half-shut door and rushed into the dimly-lit room. Draco was curled up on the floor, blood escaping from the corners of his mouth and eyes. Harry's wand clattered to the floor as he dropped to his knees. Draco was breathing shallowly and a whimper fled his lips.

Harry was afraid. He held Draco close to him, pulling the boy into his chest. He feared that there wasn't anything he could do to save Draco. Harry didn't realize until his breathing slowed that he had tears on his cheeks.

Harry grasped Draco's shirt and breathed in his sleepy scent. Although their early morning peace was deep, Harry was beginning to wake up. He squinted, pushing one eye open, looking in different directions, trying to rub that stiff sleepy feeling out. Harry lifted a heavy arm to his eyes and finished the job with his fingers. As he lowered his arm back to Draco's waist, he smiled. Propping himself up on his other elbow, he leaned down to give the blond boy a soft kiss on the cheek. He thought about the night he had almost lost his mate.

Harry was at risk for losing more blood than Draco. Draco's blood had hardened on his skin and stopped flowing out of his facial orifices. His eyes fluttered open and caught sight of Harry. He was dizzy. Harry had blood smeared on his cheek – whose? Harry's eyes were squeezed shut, bright tears escaping, his mouth was slightly open in a pained grimace. Harry thought he was losing Draco.

Through his hazy vision, Draco brought a hand up to Harry's cheek and tried to sit up. Harry's eyes popped open with a start – Draco was alive!

"Oh, Draco, what happened – " he started.

Draco's lips curved up in that crooked smile of his. "Harry, you came for me."

At this, Harry's eyes started streaming again, as he caught Draco in the tightest hug he could muster. Draco was weak but managed to clasp his arms around Harry's neck. Harry finished sobbing into Draco's shoulder, his nose runny. For once, Draco didn't care. He pulled Harry tighter to him as his strength slowly returned.

"Psst… wake up, sleepyhead," Harry whispered softly into Draco's ear. His breath fluttered the wispy blond hair on Draco's cheek. This was one of Harry's favorite things.

"Don't let the morning take him…," Draco mumbled.

A sliver of dawn's light shone across the pillow, alighting upon Draco's hair.

Harry's eyes glittered in the fading evening light that entered the room through a small window near the ceiling. They were a deep green, and finally at rest. The blood on his skin had dried, except for the parts that Draco was kissing off of his cheeks and lips. The two boys were happy to be alive and in each other's arms.

Harry nuzzled into Draco's neck, murmuring softly, "No one will ever take me from you." He had said this a hundred times, a million times, every morning that they had woken up together since that night. It was their tranquil routine, and every time Draco mumbled those words to him, it stirred Harry's heartstrings. He smiled.

_End_


End file.
